爆料社区

听

Papakura Marae is undoubtedly a pillar of its community, offering 51 community services, including a GP clinic, weekly community dinners, and driving lessons. Now, through a growing collaboration with the Healthy Active Learning team at CLM Community Sport, the urban marae is using the draw of physical activity to connect with schools in the area in new ways.

It鈥檚 a foggy morning in term 3 and Papakura Marae has formally welcomed on 80 膩konga from four local primary and intermediate schools (the majority within walking distance) for a Matariki celebration.

Following a p艒whiri, 膩konga have learned more about the celebration post boil-up in the wharekai and are making their way around taonga t膩karo (M膩ori games) stations 鈥� with the rain not stopping them getting active.

There鈥檚 ringa kemu (hand games), i te timatanga (rhythm and hand games connected to the p奴rakau of Rangi and Papa), whai (string games), t墨 kouka (M膩ori play using natural resources), and rakau kemu (stick games).

鈥淔or us the marae is that oasis where wh膩nau can feel connected, feel engaged, not be judged, and feel welcome,鈥� says marae CEO Tony Kake.

鈥淚n a year we probably deal with over 40,000 people through the marae 鈥� of all ages, from hap奴 tanga through to tangi. We are here to support our community, but most importantly our tamariki for they are the next generation.鈥�

听

Milestone connection

The day marks an exciting milestone. Although the marae has close relationships with many schools in the area this is the first the time these students have been formally welcomed on.

The idea to connect 膩konga with the marae through physical activity was born from a successful k墨-o-rahi pilot the marae ran with CLM Community Sport earlier in the year.

鈥淭hrough that programme the idea came up about integrating schools here at the marae to inform them, to give them more knowledge, and more confidence about what being on a marae means. What a p艒whiri process is,鈥� says Dee Clark.

Dee is the Wh膩nau Ora team lead at the marae and organised the Matariki event with CLM Healthy Active Learning community connector Shyanne Thompson.

Dee says the importance of the day was to open the doors to tamariki and to say 鈥渢his is your home too. Come and see us if you need us or tell mum and dad about us. It鈥檚 an extension of aroha鈥�.

Shyanne agrees, saying, 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really important for the tamariki to understand they are really important parts of this community, and they are the centre of everything this marae is about 鈥� supporting tamariki and rangatahi.

鈥淏eing told from the marae that this is their marae now, this is their whare, and they are welcome here anytime is just really special.鈥�

As a Healthy Active Learning community connector, Shyanne鈥檚 role is to support schools to develop quality connections with their community to enhance tamariki wellbeing.

Ultimately how she does that is guided by their wants and needs. And, she says, schools have identified they want to connect with the marae in new ways 鈥� through physically spending time on it.

Wiremu Turner, a kaiako at Papakura Intermediate, attended with 20 of his 膩konga. The school has an existing relationship with the marae, and Wiremu spoke on behalf of the schools at the p艒whiri, but only a handful students have been on before 鈥� and never inside the wharenui.

Wiremu says when schools connect with marae the wellbeing of tamariki is always enhanced.

鈥淓ach school has their own way of catering for the wellbeing of their tamariki but when the marae is involved it just takes it a step above.

鈥淚t works both ways 鈥� for those who really haven鈥檛 experienced marae and for those who have but are able to introduce their friends to things we do on marae.鈥�

听

膧konga feel the aroha

One of Wiremu鈥檚 students, Kaleb (Ng膩ti Porou), has never been onto Papakura Marae before 鈥� although he has spent time on his own in Rotorua.

The 13-year-old says he enjoyed the chance to hang out with his mates on a marae and had fun learning about Matariki through the stories held in the wharenui. He also says that playing games about Matariki helped him learn.

鈥淚 enjoyed the string games. And we had some boil up 鈥� it was nice. It鈥檚 been a cool day.鈥�

He says he would like to come back to the marae and that, when he passed it in the future, he would think about the day and his culture 鈥� 鈥渨hich is M膩ori鈥�.

鈥淚 am proud to be M膩ori and I鈥檝e always lived in Papakura. Papakura will always be my home town.鈥�

Thirteen-year-old George, a student at Ng膩k艒roa School, has never been on marae. He says he has learned that it was about more than 鈥減eople coming in and just singing and talking to other people鈥�.

鈥淚 have found out it鈥檚 something more. It鈥檚 meeting up with your friends, family, catching up with each other and all that fun stuff.鈥�

He also learned lots of new things about M膩ori culture 鈥� including kupu (words), games, and even a new haka.

He says he would love to come back.

鈥淭hat would make me feel so great so I can meet up with other people, meet new friends, eat with them, and share all the things that I鈥檝e done.鈥�

For George鈥檚 kaiako, Kate Lewis, the opportunity for herself and tamariki to connect with other schools and learn more about the role the marae played in the Papakura community had been a highlight. Particularly as Ng膩k艒roa only opened in 2022.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just good for the soul to connect. Not only with ourselves and who we are but with the wider community.

鈥淥ne of our school values is kaitiakitanga. An aspect of that value is being proud of who you are and where you come from and embracing your culture and celebrating and sharing it with the community.鈥�

Kate says Shyanne, who has been supporting the school to create a quality play, sport, and physical activity environment, had been paramount to making the connection with the marae happen.

鈥淚 love that Shy saw the natural connection with our school values and the opportunity to embrace that with a marae visit.鈥�

听

Whakawhanaungatanga

For other schools wanting to build authentic relationships with their local marae, Shyanne says it all comes down to whakawhanaungatanga.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about putting your hand up, not out. It鈥檚 really important to connect with the marae first and sit down and understand their needs and then go from there.鈥�

Dee reiterates the importance of building relationships first.

鈥淭rust us. Just trust us. We are a welcome environment. Come on and have a cup of tea about what we can do for you, how can we help your wh膩nau.

鈥淧ersonally, I would love to see a regular thing like this, and I think today proved it鈥檚 needed.鈥�

听

Aktive, CLM Community Sport, Harbour Sport, Sport Auckland and Sport Wait膩kere are proud to be part of Healthy Active Learning in T膩maki Makaurau. This sees the collective supporting primary and intermediate schools to create healthy and active learning environments and better connections to their local communities.