Friday 13th June marked a very special occasion as Morningside Kindergarten  celebrated 50 years of operation.

Despite a very wet start to the day, luck was on our side as the early evening cleared up, allowing the planned outdoor festivities to go ahead as hoped.

We combined our milestone birthday celebration with our annual Matariki Disco Night and took the opportunity to have our new Māori Atua display boards formally blessed.

The event was very well attended by tamariki ,whānau and members of the wider community. We were honoured to welcome Helen White, MP  for Mt Albert , as well as board members and other special guests. It was especially heartwarming to see many former families and staff returning to join the celebration.

The evening began with a speech  by Matua Hari Paniora, who then led a blessing through the kindergarten and out into the garden. John Gillon, AKA Board Member -Deputy Chair followed with a speech reflecting on the kindergarten’s rich history, before our tamariki delighted everyone with beautiful waiata.

A lively rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ was sung by our lovely tamariki, whānau and kaiako before Pauline Winter(CEO) and Head Teacher, Nancy  cut the magnificent giant chocolate cake made by a grand parent. With food served and fairy lights twinkling throughout the garden, the disco begun , and the grounds were alive with laughter, dancing, and celebration.

Lanterns and outdoor seating added to the festive atmosphere, making it a truly magical evening to commemorate this important milestone  in Morningside Kindergarten’s journey.

“He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata.

What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.