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Celebrating Matariki with Whanau
On Wednesday the 7th July 2021, we invited our Whanau to come and celebrate Matariki (Maori New Year) with us at BestStart Newmarket. Our Whanau turned up to join the fun as a community. This was to support the value of whanaungatanga, the connections we develop with people, places and things over time, and respect our heritage. Beststart Newmarket Team and our Tamariki value your presence and participation. A huge thank you for all the families who took time to spend the afternoon with us.
Our Tamariki have been deepening their knowledge about Matariki through a variety of activities and resources. They learned a lot about Maori myths and legends and also about their values and tikanga practices. They learned about the stars and star clusters. They also had an oppurtunity to care of their environment through cleaning the premises and being the Kaitiaki. They were very happy to learn to peel vegetables for the Whanau soup, to serve to their families. A huge thank you to all our families for the shared vegetables. Our children have been preparing for this day since last month and they took pride in performing for their Whanau. Our Tamariki performed three songs for their Whanau and it was great to see their confidence while performing the art.
Sharing food is such a big part of our Matariki celebration. We had special afternoon tea together, where children and parents were involved in contributing veggies and making the Whanau veggie soup. Everyone brought along a plate to share together and along with the homemade soup, there was a lot to go around. Educating, connecting communities and stimulating children’s imaginations are all opportunities that Matariki brings. By celebrating Matariki in our centre and the wider community we are bringing the principles of Te Whariki (New Zealand curriculum) to life, especially the Treaty of Waitangi, community engagement and cultural diversity. Matariki provides an opportunity for our tamariki to explore the values of diversity, community and participation, and respect for self and others.