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Community marae Te Herenga Waka o Orewa welcomed hundreds of children and their caregivers for two special Maori Language Week powhiri last week. Large numbers of playcentre families visited the marae for Māori Language Week.
To celebrate Māori Language Week, Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa welcomed hundreds of people onto the community marae in Silverdale.
Around 200 children and parents from nine playcentres across the North Shore took part in two special pōwhiri, and experienced Te Reo Māori activities including sharing kai, singing and games. The events were co-hosted by Silverdale Te Puna Reo Playcentre, which provides full immersion Te Reo Māori Playcentre sessions.
“We want to make coming onto the marae a normal thing for every child, no matter where they are from,” Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa chair Kereama Nathan says.
“We only welcome you onto our marae once – from then on, it’s your marae, too.”
The event is part of a ‘rolling pōwhiri,’ where they continuously welcome local schools, residents and community groups onto the marae, weekdays from September 9 to 27. In its first week, over 500 people will have participated, Kereama says. It is limited to 100 people per pōwhiri, so anyone wishing to attend should email teherengawaka@xtra.co.nz to organise a visit.
