Ngā mihi o Matariki!

Over the past few weeks, the Pikopiko Room at Tawa South has been full of creativity, connection, and celebration as we prepared for Matariki, the Māori New Year. 

This is a special time for reflecting on the year that has passed, showing gratitude for our blessings, and remembering those we have lost. True to Pikopiko spirit, our tamariki have been busy exploring a range of creative art experiences. We experimented with salt-dye stars, string art, sponge painting, and chalk pen drawings—each activity supporting the development of fine motor skills, communication, and important social skills like turn-taking and working alongside others.

We also created our own telescopes and went on a Matariki hunt around the room, discovering star lights glowing above us. Tamariki looked through their telescopes and shared what they could see—spotting different stars and the moon, sparking wonder and kōrero. We were fortunate to welcome some very special visitors into our centre. The Tawa School Kapa Haka group came to perform for us, captivating our tamariki with their powerful waiata and expressive movement. Many of our little ones were in awe, dancing along from their seats with joy.

Adding to the magic of the week, two of our wonderful whānau came in to read stories with us. These moments were incredibly special—helping to build bridges between home and centre life and supporting our tamariki to see themselves and their families reflected in our learning environment.

These experiences connect beautifully to Te Whāriki:

• Belonging strand: “Making connections between people, places and things in their world.”
• Communication strand: “Enjoying hearing stories, retelling, and creating them.”

We are so grateful to our community for helping to make Matariki such a meaningful and memorable time for our tamariki. It has been a celebration filled with learning, love, and connection. 

Ngā mihi o te tau hou Māori – Hari Tau Hou Māori! 

I ngā wiki tata nei, kua kī te rūma Pikopiko i Tawa South i te auahatanga, te hononga, me te whakanui i a Matariki, te Tau Hou Māori. He wā nui tēnei hei whakamaumahara i te tau kua pahure, hei whakawhetai mō ā tātou manaakitanga, ā, hei maumahara anō hoki ki te hunga kua ngaro i a tātou. Pērā i te āhua o Pikopiko, he tino pukumahi ā mātou tamariki ki te tūhura i ngā momo mahi toi hou. I whakamātauhia e mātou te hanga whetū mā te tote me te wai kāpia, te toi aho, te peita hautai me te tuhi mā ngā pene pārae. Nā ēnei mahi i āwhina i te whakawhanaketanga o ngā pūkenga ā-ringa, te whakawhitiwhiti kōrero, me ngā pūkenga pāpori pēnei i te tatari i tō rātou wā me te mahi tahi.

I hanga hoki mātou i ētahi taringa ātea (telescopes) me te kimi i a Matariki puta noa i te rūma. I kite mātou i ngā whetū e kanapa ana i runga i a mātou, ā, i tiro mātou mā ngā taringa ātea, i kōrero hoki mō ngā whetū i kitea e mātou me te marama hoki. I tua atu, i whai wā mātou ki te manaaki i ētahi manuhiri motuhake. I tae mai te rōpū Kapa Haka o te Kura o Tawa ki te whakangahau i a mātou. 

He tino whakahihiko ngā waiata me ngā nekehanga, ā, i tino mīharo ā mātou tamariki – i kanikani rātou i ō rātou tūru me te tino ngahau. I whakanuia hoki mātou i te taenga mai o ētahi o ō mātou whānau ki te pānui pukapuka ki ngā tamariki. He wā tino whakahirahira ēnei – hei hono i te kāinga me te whare kōhungahunga, ā, hei whakakaha anō i te mōhiotanga o ngā tamariki mō rātou anō me ō rātou whānau i roto i tō mātou ao ako. 

E hono ana ēnei wheako ki ngā putanga ako o Te Whāriki:

• Te wāhanga o te Noho ā-iwi (Belonging): “Te hono ki ngā tāngata, ngā wāhi me ngā mea i tō rātou ao.”
• Te wāhanga o te Whakawhiti Kōrero (Communication): “Te ngahau ki te whakarongo ki ngā kōrero, te kī anō, me te waihanga i ā rātou ake.”

He tino nui ā mātou mihi ki tō mātou hapori mō te tautoko i a mātou i tēnei wā whakahirahira o Matariki. He wā whakanuia kī tonu i te ako, te aroha, me te hononga.