Maungarei, watches over our kindergarten community offering us a point of belonging for our kindergarten whanau

This term saw our kindy hold our second annual picnic, referred to as ‘Kai up our Maunga’.  We meet our lovely families at the top of Mt Wellington/Maungarei, where we spread out our picnic blankets with a mixture of yummy kai, games and group exploration of the area. We had a fun evening!

Our children continue developing their friendships and our parents have time to meet and catch up with one another, building connections that go on beyond kindy.  The children and families who attend, talk about this experience for weeks after, recalling the games and fun had as they went sliding down the mountain.

The introduction to Kai up our Maunga, for our kindergarten, allowed us to celebrate the connection to our Maunga.  A unique and sacred part of our bi-cultural heritage and to each other as a community of learners, fostering our belonging and the relationships that unite us all as a kindergarten community, in a relaxed and fun way.

It’s through events like this we make connections between our kindergarten and the world around us in meaningful way.  As we seek to live our kindergarten values  and the Kaupapa Māori values of Manaakitanga, Whānaungatanga and of course Aroha.  We weave a whaariki on which we sit as a kindergarten whanau, renewing our bonds of belonging and revitalising our partnerships as we walk side by side as whānau.