Matariki is a time to gather with family and friends to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and plan for the future.

'Ngā mihi o Matariki, te tau hou Māori' Happy Matariki, the Māori New Year

This week we have celebrated Matariki in our kura with an action packed calendar which included: 

Matariki Full School Assembly: We were honoured to host Jack Thatcher - master waka navigator, Matariki expert and the son of our very own Mereaira Thatcher.

Jack spoke to our Rangatahi about his mother Mereaira who our school whare is named after and the importance of Matariki for Aotearoa as we being to plan for a public holiday in 2022.

Jack was recently awarded the Queen's Birthday Honour - NZ Order of Merit for services to Māori and education. Our kura acknowledged this achievement by performing a full school haka at the end of the assembly.

Kī-o-Rahi Finals: The finals of our house Kī-o-Rahi house competition took place on Tuesday lunch time. Playing off for 1st and 2nd places were Sheppard and Batten and 3rd and 4th places were Whina and Mansfield.

Kī-o-Rahi is a ball sport (the ball is known as the “kī”) that is a combination of netball, handball and tag rugby. Games are 5 minute quarters with an immediate change at quarter time and a 2 minute break at half time. The sport is non-contact but players wear a belt holding two velcro tags around their waist.

The final results were:

• 1st Place: Sheppard 💜 
• 2nd Place: Batten 💙 
• 3rd Place: Mansfield 💛 
• 4th Place: Whina 💚 

Kī-o-Rahi Prefects Game: Monday saw our Tauranga Girls' College prefects face off against the Tauranga Boys' College prefects in Kī-o-Rahi. It was a close game with the final score being 9-8 to TBC. Great to see our TGC Tiger mascot out there!

Kahoots/Quizzes: Whānau classes were able to take part in Kahoot quizes and mindfulness Matariki colouring in throughout the week.

Scavenger hunt: On Thursday the 9 stars of Matariki were hidden around the school. Students needed to find these, read the answer/eat the lolly on the back and then bring the 9 stars to the front of J block for a prize.

Film viewing: Students were able to gather together in thee hall during lunchtimes to watch the film 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople'

Whānau Feud: Lunchtime saw TGC take on TBC in whānau feud. Whānau Feud is our own charming version of the popular game show Family Feud. The questions will be based around Matariki and the Māori Culture.

Students loved watching and participating in this fun quiz!

Library Activities: The library had some great activities in the spirit of Matariki including some great books on display, a quiz, and invited students to join them during Thursday lunchtime to make some pretty origami star boxes.

Thank you to our Kaupapa Māori Committee who organized this fabulous week of events for kaiako and tauira to enjoy.