Matariki is a celebration of the incoming Māori new year, celebrated across Aotearoa, and is a time of reflection and celebration. On the final day of term two, Sancta Maria College celebrated Matariki by participating in a whole school liturgy and numerous enjoyable, hands-on activities and performances.
To begin the morning, all students headed to the auditorium for our Matariki liturgy. One of the many notable moments of the liturgy was when a procession occurred where students and teachers bought forth different objects to symbolise the nine Matariki stars along with a candle – students read each star’s description; the liturgy allowed students to reflect and gain a deeper understanding of Matariki.
Once the liturgy concluded, Kahoot quizzes were prepared for students to test their knowledge of Matariki in their classes. There were five questions spread across four quizzes; each question encouraged students to think carefully and taught students’ new information about the origin of Matariki!
Towards the end of the morning, the competition began – poster making! Each homeroom was tasked to produce a masterpiece that related to Matariki on an A1 sheet of paper. The aim was to collaborate and cooperate with peers to ensure your class’s poster would claim a spot on the podium! Poster-making aided students in researching and learning about methods Māori used to celebrate Matariki.
After period three, students excitedly headed over to the auditorium with their Matariki posters, anticipating what class would reign victorious. Before the poster winners were revealed, our Kapa Haka group entertained the school with their outstanding singing, keeping the entire audience engaged with their exciting, passionate, and emotional performances. Finally, the part everyone was awaiting. Two representatives from each class walked on stage with their class’s posters: displaying their unique pieces of art. Following this, the judges announced the top three posters and the assembly concluded.
Lunch proceeded the kapa haka performance, with students and teachers collecting their pre-ordered hāngī from BG4. Additionally, the school got to enjoy fried bread that was sold on the day. All the money raised went toward the cost of new Kapa Haka uniforms.
After lunch, classes continued to enjoy playing string games and learnt to create interesting patterns, ending with a fun and practical activity. Special thanks to Mrs. Hiddleston who gave us all a wonderful day of Matariki celebrations on the last day of the term.
