Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai – nurture the seed and it will blossom.
Seedlings, harakeke headpieces and mātauranga Māori were the lesson of the day for around 90 Tasman schoolkids who participated in the He Kākano event late last month, hosted by the whānau of Te Āwhina Marae in Motueka.
A joint effort between Nelson City and Tasman District Councils, our Te Tauihu iwi partners and the Enviroschools programme, the purpose of He Kākano is to support tamariki Māori to develop as confident and caring kaitiaki o te taiao – guardians of the environment.
An earlier event was held at Whakatū Marae (Nelson) a week prior. Funding for both days came from Toimata Foundation, which runs Enviroschools.
This time, pupils from St Paul’s Richmond, Brightwater, Waimea Intermediate, Wakefield, Lower Moutere, Tasman and Riwaka Schools enjoyed a fun day out of the classroom, growing their understanding of tikanga Māori and kaitiakitanga.
Following a pōwhiri to welcome everyone onto the marae and some icebreaker/ whakawhanaungatanga activities, children were divided into groups for three rotations of activities throughout the day.
Each station provided an opportunity to foster connection and responsibility to te taiao (environment) and whenua (land) – be it identifying and planting seeds, creating tīpare (woven headband) from the plant fibres and flowers, or games and pūrākau (stories) to help with understanding and connections.
All of which aims to encourage values of respect, care, and leadership from an early age.
The written or drawn feedback provided by the tamariki was unanimous in its praise of the day – no doubt there was plenty of knowledge and enthusiasm to take home and share with friends and whānau.