Month: June 2026

As part of our Matariki and Literacy learning, we read The Kai Stars of Matariki, written by Miriama Kamo. This pukapuka teaches us the important role that Tupuanuku and Tupuarangi play in determining whether the year’s harvest will be good or not.

Tupuānuku is intimately tied to Papatūānuku (Earth Mother). She represents everything that grows within and upon the soil, e.g. kūmara, potatoes, carrots.  Tupuārangi is tied to Ranginui (Sky Father). He governs everything that grows or lives above the ground, e.g. fruit, berries and manu.

At the end of the pukapuka, the people of Te Mata Hāpuku had a hākari. We learned what a hākari was, talked about who we would invite, and then we planned our own, including our favourite kai. First, we planned our kai by drawing it, then we got a pereti and created our favourite kai. Then we used Explain Everything to share and explain what we included in our hākari.

What kai would you bring to a hākari?

A couple of weeks ago during CRT with Islay, Ata Hāpara teina dived into the world of mandalas!

We started by learning how mandalas use repeating patterns to create beautiful, eye-catching images. Then, it was time to get hands-on. We gathered natural materials like leaves and flower petals, carefully arranging them on paper to practice our symmetry skills. Once everything looked perfectly balanced, we glued them down with PVA. Check out some of our amazing creations below. Ka pai tō mahi, teina!

Whaea Emma’s pangarau rōpū have been learning about measurement. Yesterday, they learned about perimeter and that to find the perimeter, you needed to measure around the object. We practised measuring with non-standard units. We used popsicle sticks, cubes and post-it notes. We then recorded our findings and compared them. We learned that it was important to make sure your units were touching so you could get an accurate measurement. Are you surprised by any of our results?