2007-10-04T17:39:00.000+13:00

Term 3 has been a really busy term. We have focused on the Inquiry process and are making a web page to show off all our learning. When it is finished we will link it to our blog.For a taste of what we have done check out Frankie-Rose's and Louis mahi. Ka mau te wehi!

In the 1950’s Hau school on the edge of Motueka was closed down. It was gifted to the Maori tribal committee and was moved from Hau school site by the Maori and Pakeha community lead by Tom Bailey, Jock Reeves and Laura Ingram to the land at Pah St where Te Awhina Marae is.

Te Awhina, which was the originally Maori community hall was opened in 1958 It was a place for the Maori community to get together and where a lot of events happened like tangi, kapahaka, sports and dances which were held on Saturday nights. Tom Te Whetu and then Kia Riwai lived in the whare kai for sometime to help with the seasonal tobacco workers. Tobacco was a big industry in Motueka and attracted Maori workers from the North Island. In 1986 the hall was used as the first Kohanga Reo in the area.

In 1990 when the wharenui was officially opened the hall become the official whare kai. Leading up to the opening a mural was painted on the back wall. The mural talks about the whakapapa of the area. It shows the Maunga, Tu Ao Whare papa and Pokeone, for the Tangata Whenua, Ngati Rarua, Te Atiawa. It was painted as a welcome for all people who came to the marae. The government funded the mural as part of courses for people to learn different skills.

There was a group of local Maori and Pakeha that worked on the mural. The mural is special to us because kaiako use it to teach us about the area, whakapapa, Aotearoa, birds, trees and the people.

Frankie-Rose

Te Ahurewa church was opened in 1897. It was built because of the work of the first bishop of Aotearoa, Fredrick Augustus Bennett. The church is seen as a memorial to him.

The opening day on the 6 of May 1897 was a big event for Motueka. The paddle steamer, ‘Lady Barkly’, the first paddle steamer in New Zealand, was charted from Nelson to Port Motueka carrying a large party of important people. Among them was Fredrick Bennett who opened the church. They were greeted with a powhiri lead by Hemi Matenga. Local Maori gave their guests a huge hangi feast served under two large marquees to follow the welcome.

Te Ahurewa is the second Maori church to be built in Motueka. The first, Te Amate, was damaged by floodwaters and destroyed by fire. Te Ahurewa Maori church, which is Anglican, has been in regular use since 1897. Service is held on the first Sunday of the month and is opened for special guests and for tangi.

Huta Parka set the land on which the church is built aside for that purpose. The church is an historic building and has a lot of cultural and architectural importance. Renovations took place in 1955 and in 1958 the gate entrance was built. The church was re roofed and the timbers re oiled for the church centenary in 1997.

The inside is lined with bare Rimu boards and has photos and pictures of the tipuna who have passed on. The church is a special place and has a beautiful atmosphere that fills you with a sense of history and peace.

Louis

2007-05-21T14:40:00.000+12:00

The morning started early for me. I was rudely awakened by the bleating of my alarm. “Wake up!” “wake up!” it screeched at me. As my eyes began to slowly focus in the dim heavy cloak of darkness the first thought that filtered through my sleepy mind was a question ‘what was it like for my great grandfather on this day 90 years ago?’ He would have been surrounded by his mates knowing they were going to die, that some of them wouldn’t make it. Gallipoli has become a place that more and more New Zealanders are becoming aware of. It is a place of great tragedy and sorrow, courage and comrademanship.

I pulled myself from the cosy nest and got my self and my son Louis organised for the Dawn ceremony. "Warm clothes" I said," it will be cold!" We quietly dressed and drove to pick up Waiora and Pakari. The sky was filled with stars and the road was quiet and still. As we drove into Motueka more and more cars started to join the procession into the centre of town. We parked and continued our journey on foot. Outside Placemakers other whanau and Parklands students and teachers gathered. Whaea Sue, Mr T and Mr B, with his medals proudly pinned to his warm coat, Mrs Walker, parents and grandparents all milling around waiting for the signal to line up.

An organiser in shiny shoes and military uniform directed us to stand behind the Army cadets; we were jittery with cold and excitement. ‘Attention’ yelled an officer, we were off. The Highland band started the march down High St and turned right into Pah St to bring the parade to a stop in front of the cenotaph at memorial park. The air was frigid against our skin its dank tentacles started to penetrate my warm jacket. The ceremony began. There were speeches and prayers, hymns and poems and then the last post played on the bugle. We were warned but it still came as a shock when the rifles were shot. The dawns early light blanketed us in the memories of those incredible men and women who gave their lives for the freedom of all New Zealanders. The Anzacs who died horribly on Turkish soil, those who died in France and Egypt, The soldiers who died only a few years later in WW2 fighting for peace and freedom in countries on the other side of the world. It was not an adventure; it was pain, fear and grief.

ANZAC day is important for me in so many ways. It reminds me of all those people who were loved, and lost. It reminds me of my past and it reminds me of all I have due to the sacrifices that were made by a group of brave New Zealanders.

Te Whanau o Pakarana