Around 200 primary and intermediate students hit Sports Park on Thursday last week to embrace Matariki through traditional Māori games.
Mixed teams of Year 6 and 7 students from Ngatimoti School, Brooklyn School, Riwaka School, Parklands School and Motueka South School participated in friendly matches of Tī Uru, Horohapu, Kī-o-Rahi and Tapu Ae with Year 8 student leaders officiating.
Horohopu requires participants to throw and catch a poi toa from one team member to another to advance towards the scoring zone. Kī-o-Rahi is a combination of netball, handball and rippa rugby, and Tapu Ae involves two teams trying to knock the opposing team’s balls off their cones.
Sport Tasman healthy active learning advisor Kate Hailes says the day was about capability build and growing Matariki values.
“We have got these schools together for the first time to run this and the idea is they take it over themselves to run in the future and potentially grow it, so it includes some more of the locals,” she says.
“It’s about whanaungatanga - getting to know each other, and interacting with new people, Manaakitanga - which is about uplifting and growing everything and feeling valued and included, and rangatiratanga - which is all about dual leadership.”
