This week was Te Reo Maori week also known as Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. This week we did lots of Activities at school related to Maori culture. We also practised a waiata related to Māori history. On Rahina (Monday) at assembly the whole school sang Te Manurewa o Tamapahore.

On Ratu (Tuesday) we learned about hangi. Hangi is a Māori tradition to cook food on special occasions. We named some stuff that can be put in a hangi, I named mushroom because I love cooked mushrooms. Then we took a survey to see who likes which food. Then we made a bar graph to show. The winner was Hei Hei, also known as chicken in English.

On Raapa (Wednesday) we read the year four’s some Māori books. Some of the books had Māori legends about Te Manurewa o Tamapahore. It’s about two brothers where they had a competition and they decide that the brother that flies the kite highest wins. Then tamapahure tests jealous and cuts tamapahore’s kite and it flys all the way to coromandel.  

There is always a question of the day which is hidden in the classroom and we have to find it and answer it. In the kapa haka group we also performed some waiata’s. We performed a haka, nga iwi e, te manurewa o tamapahore and toea mai.

I think we should speak more Māori at school and do more Māori activities because it is a great culture.