SCHOOLWIDE ACTIVITIES

Matariki is the Māori name for a group of stars that are also known as the Pleiades star cluster.

The physical appearance of Matariki in the sky was traditionally used by a tohunga (a priest or expert) as a forecast of the year ahead. Clear and bright stars signalled warm and productive seasons, and hazy or shimmering clusters meant a cold winter was coming and ground for crops was prepared accordingly.

Each iwi has their own stories and perspectives about Matariki and celebrate Matariki at different times. Some hold festivities when Matariki is first seen in the dawn sky; others celebrate after the rise of the full moon or at the beginning of the next new moon.

Today Matariki is generally seen as an important time to celebrate the earth and show respect for the land. It is also a time to acknowledge those who have passed away and to plan for the year ahead.

Matariki is a good opportunity for all New Zealanders to come together with Māori communities to learn their stories, culture, and language.

How we Celebrate Matariki in our School

WHAT IS ANZAC DAY?

Anzac Day, on April 25 each year, is an Australian and New Zealand national day of remembrance* for Australians and New Zealanders at home and around the world.

The day marks the anniversary of the first big military action by Australian and New Zealand soldiers in World War I on April 25, 1915.

WHAT DOES THE WORD ANZAC MEAN?

ANZAC is the acronym* formed from the first letters of the words Australian and New Zealand Army Corps*.

It was first written as “A & NZ Army Corps”, when Australian and New Zealand soldiers were grouped together in Egypt waiting to go to Gallipoli, in Turkey, to start fighting. The soldiers who fought at Gallipoli became known as ANZACs.

From 1917, soldiers who had fought at Gallipoli wore an “A” badge on their uniform.

When referring to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, it’s written as ANZAC (in capital letters), and mostly as Anzac (in lower case letters) for other things such as Anzac Day or Anzac biscuits.

How We Remember ANZAC at our school.

On the 6th of February each year, New Zealand celebrates Waitangi Day.  The purpose of this public holiday is to remember the Treaty of Waitangi – our founding document, and acknowledge the role this document plays right through to our current day.

Brief history of Waitangi Day

Waitangi is a small town in the Bay of Islands, and on 6 February 1840, approximately 540 Māori representatives together with representatives from the British Crown met at Waitangi to sign a treaty that would change the course of New Zealand history forever.

Prior to the signing of the Treaty, there was a great deal of unrest amongst the different groups living in New Zealand.  British citizens were emigrating to New Zealand in large numbers.  They required land in which to settle and make new lives – which understandably, caused considerable tension amongst Māori.  The Treaty of Waitangi would offer Maori rights to their land, while bringing New Zealand under British sovereignty.  There were, and have continued to be issues surrounding the translation of the document and whether both parties understood what was being signed in the same way.