Te Mana o Te Haerenga shared te reo Māori across our kura and wider community.

Our kura has had a meaningful week celebrating te reo Māori, with students sharing their language and culture through tikanga, waiata, haka and service to others. The week began by strengthening our relationship with local mana whenua at Te Puea Marae, where Te Mana o Te Haerenga Kapa Haka rōpū attended the raising of the flag for the new #HeWhakaahua construction project. The rōpū then returned to OHS and proudly performed for our school.

As the week continued, Te Mana o Te Haerenga took their waiata and haka into the wider community. On Wednesday, the rōpū visited Metlifecare Retirement Village, performing a 30 minute bracket for more than 100 people. Their programme included a mixture of modern waiata and old school favourites and was warmly received by the residents. We look forward to continuing this connection and welcoming our local senior citizens to OHS for a full pōwhiri in the near future.

Later in the week, manaakitanga and whanaungatanga were demonstrated through a shared kai for our whole kura. Students worked late into the evening preparing fried bread for close to 1,000 students and staff, with a group staying overnight in the whare to continue preparations. At second break the following day, the smell of freshly cooked fried bread filled the school as students queued patiently to receive their kai and enjoy it together.

The week has shown the depth of our students’ connection to their culture and their willingness to share it with others. Through their actions, they have strengthened relationships within our kura, with mana whenua and with our wider Onehunga community. He mihi nui ki a koutou katoa.