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BestStart Halswell Road whānau Matariki night
What a fabulous time was had at our recent whole centre whānau evening to acknowledge and celebrate Matariki together. We had a great attendance of tamariki, siblings, parents and extended family members come together in the centre with staff and their families to share kai and show off their dance moves on the dance floor. Tamariki also engaged with glow in the dark face painting and glow sticks, as our dance party was disco lighted, a real party vibe! Prior to the dancing beginning we also came together to share kai, a range of cultural plates being shared from sushi, dumplings, fried rice, pizza to fairy bread, yummy! Throughout the weeks leading up to the Matariki party, tamariki also learnt a new song and dance to perform for their whānau, extending their understanding of the stars that are associated with Matariki, supporting the event to be meaningful to them. One of the themes of Matariki is 'Celebrating the present' meaning 'gathering to celebrate the present with feasting, games and joyful activities' we aimed to reflect this theme through our Matariki party, by sharing kai which reflects our community, joining in together to dance, face painting, kōrero (chat) and have a good belly laugh together, bringing our community together, giving whānau an opportunity to meet each other and further develop our relationships as a wider centre while celebrating Matariki, a significant event in Aotearoa. We look forward to the next centre whānau event.