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Hautapu Ceremony at Wainuiomata Marae - Matariki Morning

On Matariki morning, our whānau at Wainuiomata Marae welcomed the wider Wainuiomata community to a special Hautapu ceremony — a sacred ritual held to honour the rising of the Matariki star cluster and to welcome the Māori New Year.

Held in the early hours, the ceremony began with a pōwhiri, bringing everyone together through whanaungatanga and tikanga. Karakia were offered to each of the stars in the Matariki cluster, acknowledging their unique roles and inviting their presence into the space. At the centre of the ceremony was the umu kohukohu whetū, a traditional earth oven used to prepare kai as sacred offerings to the stars. As the steam rose, it carried our prayers, gratitude, and hopes upward to the heavens — a powerful symbol of our connection to the natural world and our tīpuna.

It was a moving and emotional morning for many. Some people shared that, despite living in Wainuiomata their whole lives, this was their first time ever stepping onto the marae — a meaningful reminder of how Matariki can bring us together and reconnect us with place, people, and purpose.

Following the ceremony, we provided rongoā packs and a warm breakfast for the community, offering nourishment and care as part of the celebration. The morning was filled with aroha, reflection, and hope — a beautiful way to step into the new year together as a community.

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Tihei Rangatahi Holiday Programme Term 2 Recap

Over the past two weeks, we ran an amazing Tihei Rangatahi holiday programme filled with learning, fun, and unforgettable experiences.

We kicked things off with a station rotation day where the rangatahi learned how to make putiputi from harakeke, helped with hāngī prep for our lunch the next day, and enjoyed a round of sports. We wrapped up the day with a sausage sizzle and a hikoi down the Gumloop.

The next day we headed out to Brewtown, where the kids had a blast ice skating and jumping on trampolines. We ended that day by sharing the delicious hāngī we prepared together.

To finish off Week 1, we treated the kids to a movie day to watch The Karate Kid 3, complete with goodie bags for the full experience.

Week 2 started with a splash at H2O Pool, which the kids loved so much that we went again the next day — this time to Kilbirnie Pools.

On our final day, we spent the morning at Walter Nash, playing a range of sports, then celebrated our last afternoon at Taita Rocks with pizza. We closed the programme with a special Hautūku ceremony, where each rangatahi wrote down something they wanted to release and placed it in the fire. They also wrote a goal on a star to set intentions moving forward.

We ended with s’mores, laughter, and full hearts. The tamariki absolutely loved it — and we can’t wait for the next Tihei Rangatahi holiday programme!