On Friday
8th of August we celebrated our annual Hangi at kindergarten. The Hangi is
usually part of our Matariki events; however due to the weather we had to postpone
the date and what a great decision it was, as the weather on Friday was just
awesome. Ranginui must have been taking care of us as though it showered twice,
neither of these downfalls effected our festivities.
Our Hangi is
a highly anticipated event, from the beginning to the end of the day the focus
is on working together, sharing, making connections and caring for each other
as we collaborate in the creation of a delicious feast and experience.
.JPG) |
| Taika helps to put meat in the Hangi basket |
At the heart
of our Hangi is the Te Ao Māori principal of whanaungatanga. Whanaungatanga recognises
that people are taonga (treasures) and are part of a larger collective;
therefore it is our relationships with each other and how we care and nurture
these connections that is most important.
.JPG) |
| Roman carries his lantern |
Paul Hirini describes whanaungatanga "as
a value, which reinforces the commitment whānau members have to each other.
Such commitment is expressed through the process of caring, sharing,
respecting, helping, assisting and nurturing" (MOE)
.JPG) |
| Tiaki holds his sparkler |
Ritchie (2012) also states
that "Whanaungatanga recognises the centrality of whānau and
relationships to early childhood care and education, and is consistent with the
Te Whariki principle of Family and Community/Whānau."
On behalf of the team I
want to say a huge thank you to our parents, whānau and tamariki for helping to
make this such a special day. We also want to acknowledge Glen Davidson (our
local library bus driver and musician extraordinaire)
for supporting us again this year with our fireside sing-along and lantern parade.
Once again, Christine has
created a wonderful video that truly captures the essence, care and energy of
this wonderful day of social interaction and celebration, enjoy!
E hoa ma, ina te ora o te tangata
My
friends, this is the essence of life
Noho ora mai
Kim
2 comments:
Hi Kim
Love the video and especially the music.... awesome kindy
Colleen Smith (Leah & Kayla's nan)
Congratulations Mairtown Kindergarten! This is what Early Childhood is all about - kia ora koutou. Bringing the community together is so powerful and celebrating our bicultural roots makes it doubly special.
Well done Kim and team, from Cath at Newlands Kindergarten, Wellington xxx
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