Once again it’s been a busy and exciting time as we celebrate Puanga / Matariki here at Manu. The highlight for us is to celebrate the Māori New Year with a whānau day, this is when we share the kai we have grown, harvested and prepared. This year that included feijoa chutney, guava jelly, mandarin cake, coconut and curry pumpkin soup and lemon poppyseed muffins. Together with the kai shared by whānau this is a real feast and the day gives our whānau a relaxed environment to come together and foster relationships within our community.
We are grateful for the contributions whānau have made to the food bank as we reflect on the wider community.
Sustainability is an integral part of our practice and this has been woven through our learning from using wallpaper, lampshades, and tin cans in creative ways. We have made whetū/stars and manu tukutuku/kites from bamboo sourced at kindergarten. We decorated the nook as a night sky reflecting the stars of Puanga and Matariki which has been a fun place to be for sharing stories and games. Our bins for compost, paper and rubbish reflect this philosophy and we are using old paper to make recycled paper. Coffee grinds scatted in the garden help prepare the soil for planned future planting. Tamariki have represented their whānau by depicting them in drawings, leading onto screen printing for some and these are displayed for all to enjoy. Another focal point is the world map where the tamariki tīpuna / grandparents origins have been mapped, learning about whakapapa/genealogy. All of these contributing to a greater sense of belonging for all.
