For the past couple of years Te Kura o Otangarei, Whau Valley, Tikipunga and Totara Grove school have been running unique inter-kura events led by Dwayne Tainui from I Have a Dream Charitable Trust. The aim of the events is to build and strengthen, manaaki, kotahitanga while also connecting kura to kura, teachers to teachers and tauira to tauira.

Each hosting kura opens each event with a mihi whakatau, setting the intentions of the day. Student leaders practise being on the paepae welcoming bigger groups than they are used to, then follow with waiata from their kura to tautoko.

Recently, Totara Grove ran Ki O Rahi for all kura to get involved in. The school served kai for all manuhiri, to whakanoa the whakatau process, bringing positive wairua. The amazing whakatau from kura brought tears to manuhiri. Totara Grove’s Mr Campbell says "you could feel the mana of the kura through the powerful waiata they sing. You can tell that they are proud to be where they are from, it was just beautiful".

Tauira were mixed up with other students from each kura and the day was purely based on whakawhanaungatanga. This way, the tauira were able to interact with those from other kura. The game schedule was a round robin style, with two games playing at a time, each team playing a total of six games with a max of 20 minutes per game. Year 5-6 students (Mate) from Whau Valley School focused on ‘getting other students' names right and making new friends’.

What a great way to end the year embracing whanaungatanga, changing the traditional inter-kura events of school vs school and revisioning it into something new. The adults involved in organising the day were impressed that the day was filled with positive kōrero throughout the kaupapa and great sportsmanship. This kaupapa showcases how inter-kura events can be about more than the sport that the tauira are playing, and this cluster of schools have showcased this in the most seamless and collaborative way.

This day was a part of a series of inter kura events between these kura, one held at each school which the weather unfortunately got in the way of. The kaupapa however will be repeated during 2023.

Do you have something similar happening in your cluster of schools in 2023? If you would like support, advice or guidance, contact your Healthy Active Learning team at Sport Northland on (09) 437 9600 – we are here to tautoko.

Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi

With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive