Motukairangi Kapa Haka Festival 2021

The Kapa Haka festival was really fun. Wellington East Girl's College and Rongotai College (Ngā Taiohi o Te Rāwhiti) started it with an opening ceremony, then after the presenter's speech they shared their item. After that, Kahurangi school came up and shared an awesome item, and since they were the only other full school, there were so many of them! We were on third, and it felt really good to get it done so soon. It felt like just one minute, but our item was supposed to be five! There were a ton of other schools after that, including Miramar North School, Miramar Central School, Lyall Bay School, Evans Bay Intermediate School and Hataitai School. Once all the schools had shared, Everyone sung Matariki and Toia Mai on the seats they were on, and the thudding of feet on the floor and 1800 voices all across the room all singing was awesome. It felt so good to hear and see everyone singing and doing one song altogether in unison. I especially liked when we did the haka part, because different people were doing different parts of the song, and the fact that everyone knew their part in the song was great. It felt so good about doing something with different people who we might never have met, without clarifying that everyone knew what to do, but everyone did know what to do.
- Will J

We have worked so hard on our performance over the past few months. The mana and ihi in Te Whānau o Whetūkairangi's performance was palpable! Here's an explanation of the meaning behind each part of our item:

• 'Noho ake au' (Mōteatea/Chant) - This chant speaks of tangata whenua, the tribes of Ngāi Tara and Ngāti Ira. The founding ancestors of these tribes and our treasured Pā site, Whatonga and his son, Taranihoniho are acknowledged. Tara's mother, Hotuwaipara is also mentioned.
• 'Utaina' (Waita-a-ringa/Action song) - This song is about paddling a waka in unison. We uplift the canoe, the canoe uplifts us. I a, ha, ha!
• 'Ko Te Upoko o Te Ika' - (Haka) - Our school haka, speaking of Whetūkairangi's position atop Motukairangi (Miramar) at the "head of the fish of Māui" (Wellington). Kupe's pursuit of the wheke (octopus) and our maunga, Tangi Te Keo (Mt Vic) are mentioned too. We look to the stars, Autahi, Tautoru, Māhutonga, Mataraiki, the family of Worser Bay School.
• 'Hutia te Rito' - (Waiata) - Our finale is a metaphor, it speaks of how pulling the centre shoot from the harakeke (flax plant) will stunt the growth of the species. He aha te mea nui o te ao? What is the most important thing in the world? Māku e ki atu ki a koe, He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. I say to you, it is people, it is people, it is people.

Ngā Kōrero ō Mua - Stories of the Past

Motukairangi History Walk

This term we have been getting stuck into a new Inquiry, Ngā Kōrero ō Mua / Stories of the Past. While a new NZ History curriculum is being implemented across the motu, we are really proud of the learning we had already been doing, especially around the Treaty of Waitangi, Polynesian Navigation and the rich history of our places - Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Whetūkairangi. 

We started off by thinking about what history is and how it's recorded. How much of it is just plain wrong?

We're really lucky to have an excellent vantage point up here on Seatoun Heights Road, for imagining the past. Te Whanganui-a-Tara, the Great Harbour of Tara. How would it have looked 800 years ago?

Our peninsula history walk has become an annual experience. Each time we build a little further on our knowledge of Māori history through stories such as Ngake & Whataitai and Kupe & the Giant Wheke. This time we added the story of Hutia Kākāriki Pā at the bottom of Awa Road. Ask us what we learnt! Our scavenger hunt also encouraged us to look a little closer at post-contact history including the Wahine Memorial and Fort Dorset.

Thinking about the strategic placement of Fort Dorset and Ōruaiti Pā

We are also exploring history through our reading programme. Take a look at this term's Literacy Links document which is full of useful and interesting sources.

Reading about the New Zealand gold rush in Bright Fine Gold.

We'll continue covering the stories of our past through Literacy and Inquiry learning. We're also very excited to head over to Wellington Museum next month to take part in the Te Upoko o Te Ika programme. Ko Te Upoko o Te Ika e tangi nei, ko Whetūkairangi e tangi nei!

Forest Protectors- Our Trip to Centennial Bush Reserve

This week we learnt all about being kaitiaki of our environment during our visit to Centennial Bush with Te Motu Kairangi. 

Some of our Social Positive Purpose Group made a movie about the day: 

On the walk we did a lot of activities. I will let you know what we learnt. 

At the kereru nest one, we learnt that kererus can in fact get drunk on the berries they eat and that is when they are most vulnerable and when its predators attack them and that is why they were endangered. 

In the second one with Nicola, we sketched the living plants and things. I did a thing with the leaves where you put them under the page and rub your pencil over it to make a kind of leaf skeleton. 

In the one with Nik, we did a thing were we tried to estimate how many living things were in a square metre. On my square metre there were about 20-30 living bugs and someone actually found a massive spider that if you make a circle with your thumb and index finger it would be as big as the hole in between. 

We also did a thing on a walk to the higher bushes and we talked about birds and adaptation and how some birds adapt to a new habitat and some don't. Also birds get killed by mammals because they stay still but the mammals don't hunt by sight, they hunt by scent. They die because birds hunt by sight so the birds aren't used to mammals.

By Sammy

Lizard Garden

Lizard Garden

No, This is not a lizard but a lizard gardener!

You may have noticed at the Awa road entrance to the school some delightful new plantings.  A small but enthusiastic group including two students (thanks Zach and Joanie) spent a sunny Sunday morning, setting boulders and driftwood artistically and putting in grasses and small shrubs.  We have created a habitat which Lizards will love!  Geckos and Skinks are regulars on the hillside anyway but will now have a purpose built, sunbaked piece of prime real estate in which they can warm their cold blooded skins.

We hope that they will thrive and proliferate in this environment but we need to make sure that we look after it.  It is not an area for playing in!  Please help us make the lizards feel at home and the new plants grow unhindered.

A special and MASSIVE thank you to Joakim from Te Motu Kairangi who lead the planting and brought in a number of his own plants.  Joakim and his group are doing amazing work all over the peninsular.  Keep an eye out for them and join them on one of their planting missions if you are feeling inspired.

Thanks also to Brian Thomas of the Wellington City Council who continues to support us with our environmental projects.  Awesome work Brian!