At BestStart Tauranga Central, we value opportunities to bring our community together.
At our recent Matariki Night event, we celebrated culture, connection and shared learning with a strong sense of Whanaungatanga and Manaakitanga.
As a community, we explored the three elements of Matariki - honouring the past, celebrating the present and looking forward to the future. We did this by focusing on each of the nine stars - exploring each one's significance.
Tamariki proudly shared their learning and knowledge about Matariki through creative skits, songs and poems that were connected to each star. At first, we were a little shy but then we gained confidence and enthusiasm - enjoying celebrating each whetū in a meaningful and memorable way. Whānau came together to share kai and connect with one another and enjoy a sense of community and friendship.
Shared experiences, such as this one, reflect the importance of community partnerships and strengthen relationships between kaiako, whānau and tamariki, and create a platform for every child's identity, voice and culture to shine.
At BestStart Tauranga Central, we are proud to nurture confident, curious and connected tamariki as we create meaningful and authentic opportunities for whānau to be part of their child's learning.