Puaka Matariki Iwikatea is always a special time for us at BestStart Balclutha.
This year, we were proud to once again join the celebration at Te Pou Ō Mata-Au, bringing our tamariki and community together through culture, music, and dance.
This year was extra special as our tamariki showcased three different cultures – Indian, Filipino, and Māori – through song and dance. It was wonderful to see them embracing different cultures with enthusiasm and respect. They worked hard during their practices, and seeing their confidence, smiles, and enjoyment while performing made us incredibly proud.
At BestStart Balclutha, we value the culture, language, identity, and traditions that every child and whānau brings to our centre. Experiences like this help our tamariki develop a strong sense of belonging while learning to appreciate and respect the diversity of the world around them. Our Matariki celebrations continued the following week at our centre, where we invited our whānau to celebrate with us. We enjoyed a delicious vegetable soup together while our tamariki proudly entertained everyone with Māori waiata, including Oma Rāpeti, the Matariki Star Song, and Kina Kina. They also shared the dance performances they had presented at Te Pou Ō Mata-Au.
It was beautiful to see our whānau enjoying the performances and our tamariki so proud to share what they had learned. Our Puaka Matariki Iwikatea celebrations reminded us of the importance of whanaungatanga building relationships, celebrating our cultures, and strengthening the connections between our tamariki, whānau, centre, and community.
We are so proud of our tamariki and grateful to all our whānau and kaiako who helped make this celebration so special. Mānawatia a Matariki! ✨