The Times is giving local youngsters who want to write stories – which we’ll publish on our website and in our digital publication – the chance to join our new Junior Journalist initiative.
The stars were aligned to mark Matariki recently, as junior journalist Manayah Peiris (Year 7) explains.
Eight local schools gathered together at Point View School on July 26 to celebrate Matariki and kapa haka through a series of entertaining performances. As there hasn’t been an inter-school kapa haka festival by Waipaparoa Kahui Ako (Howick Community of Learning) since the pandemic, everyone was buzzing with excitement.
The schools involved were: Point View School, Shelly Park School, Cockle Bay School, Willowbank Primary, Baverstock Oaks Primary, Somerville Intermediate, Howick College and Botany Downs Secondary College.
Guests began to arrive from 3.30pm and gave a small koha (donation) for the local iwi, Ngai Tai Ki Tamaki. The school hall was soon packed with many enjoying the show while standing or from outside.
After the Botany Downs Secondary College MCs and Matua Garret (a kapa haka leader from Point View School) introduced the event, all the schools sang a collective waiata called Matariki together. The schools then performed, led by the host school, Point View, before the rest of the primary schools, Somerville Intermediate and the two local Colleges.
Each school performed 3-5 songs, including some well known ones such as Purea Nei and E Rere Taku Poi.
MCs from Point View and Botany College hosted the event brilliantly, introducing each item, and thanking the organisers afterwards.
Matua Garret closed the event with a karakia before everyone sang the final waiata, Te Aroha. The audience was very supportive throughout this event and were very proud of the students.
“I liked it!” one young audience member, Emily Yang, said. “It was interesting.” Another, Zarif Ali, said that “the performance was good.”
The organisers were also very pleased with the result.
I am hoping that this event will be on again as it was amazing to perform with the Somerville Kapa Haka group in this celebration. Even though we spent many hours practising and learning the waiata, it all paid off for an amazing afternoon of kapa haka.
