On Wednesday, 30th November, we held our Māori Pasifika Celebration Evening. It has been two years since our last celebration evening, so it was an exciting prospect to know that this year we could finish the year when this special evening.
The evening was a great success, with 50 students participating in this evening, supported by their 142 whanau. The event started with a welcome from Mr Jensen, which was followed by the Purakau ropu, who retold the Māori creation story of Rangi and Papa. They recorded this story in the bush, and the footage was played. Next, the Poi and Rakau ropu created a contemporary Poi and Rakau performance of the waiata “That’s where I’ll be” by Rob Ruha. The single poi was used in the song’s first half, leading some girls to perform the double butterfly poi. In the second half of the waiata, the ropu transitioned to the Rakau. They work in lines, with a buddy, and in groups of four during the routine.
The last performance of the evening was the Fa’ataupati and Sasa ropu performance. The Fa’ataupati Samoan slap dances were performed with great enthusiasm and pride. This concluded with more students joining in and performing the Sasa. At the end of each performance, awards were presented for outstanding effort and commitment and for demonstrating excellence. Josh Brown, a 2011 past student who is currently in his 4th year of Med, attended as our guest, speaking to reconnecting with the school and the students, sharing his experience, and finishing with his speech with the advice of “Remember your passions and always work hard” To conclusion the evening Mr Tredray spoke. We identify and give awards to students who have demonstrated and been recognised as having excellent leadership skills.
We invited our whanau and students to the staffroom for a hakari – Hangi. Mr Jensen worked all day to prepare and cook our Kai for the celebration. This was pulled up around 6:30 and was well received by our Whanau. It was a great evening which was well received. We look forward to hosting this event again next year.
