Inā kei te mohio, koe ko wai koe, I anga mai koe i hea, kei te mohio koe. Kei te anga atu ki hea. If you know who you are and where you are from, then you will know where you are going.

Today, a group of dedicated and passionate students from Toroa and Korimako completed a three month Kaupapa Māori programme. Tamariki were so proud of the beautiful taonga (gifts) they had created at their wood carving sessions.

During their journey of self discovery, tamariki were able to build self confidence, learn Te Reo, make cultural connections, address physical and mental wellbeing through learning the skills of Mau Rakau (Māori martial art) and Whakairo Rakau (wood carving). 

The experience has been amazing for our tamariki who really engaged with the programme and were motivated to turn up every Friday to do the mahi. 

Special thanks to Matua Damion for his unwavering commitment to work with our tamariki. A special moment was shared when tamariki as a collective or individually acknowledged and thanked Matua Damion for sharing his knowledge with them. I was so very proud to see that mutual respect between kaiako (teacher) and ākonga (student).