A Night to Remember: Celebrating Matariki Together
One of our favourite parts of the year is welcoming our preschool community together to celebrate Matariki.
Our centre was filled with tamariki, whānau, kaiako and friends as we shared an evening of music, storytelling and kai. Matariki is a time to pause, reflect on the year that's been, celebrate the present and look ahead with hope. It was wonderful to see families from many different cultures coming together to learn about this special part of Aotearoa's story.
The evening began with a shared meal before we gathered for a beautiful performance of taonga pūoro by Rob Thorne. Many of our tamariki sat completely captivated, listening to instruments they had never heard before and experiencing the unique sounds of our natural environment brought to life through music.
Later in the evening, Rob shared the story of Hine Raukatauri, the guardian of music and the case moth. The story sparked plenty of curiosity and conversation, giving our tamariki another way to connect with te ao Māori through storytelling.
Perhaps the best part of the evening wasn't any one activity. It was watching families slow down together. Parents chatting over soup, children proudly showing their preschool to grandparents, siblings exploring alongside each other, and teachers having the chance to connect with whānau outside the busy rhythm of drop-offs and pick-ups.
Community events like this are something we genuinely value. They help strengthen the relationships that sit at the heart of early childhood education and remind us that raising children is something we do together.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the evening so special. We can't wait to celebrate together again next year.
