The sounds of waiata and haka rang out at Te Mahurehure Marae as Te Puna o Wairaka celebrated its top students and farewelled its Year 13 leavers at a special dinner on Friday, November 9.
MC’ed by Year 12 students Assina Te Paa-Kolio and Richard Mann, the event was opened with a karakia from Te Puna’s Matua Peter Walters.
Headmaster Patrick Drumm said Te Puna o Wairaka had a lot to celebrate with one of its first graduates, Black Fern rugby player Portia Woodman, recently named Albertian of the Year.
Mr Drumm thanked Te Puna o Wairaka students and teachers for helping the school to do better at celebrating Maori culture. One of their initiatives – bilingual signs around MAGS – was about to be put in place.
Junior members of Te Puna performed a haka in tribute to the Year 13s, who performed their own thunderous haka towards the end of proceedings.
When it came to the awards, Sheye Semple won the Top Senior Academic Award, while Phoebe Sullivan was named All-Round Top Senior Student and won the “Manu Tute” Award For Services to Puna and the wider community.
Stella Rose Woodman won the Top Junior Academic Award, while the award for All-Round Top Junior Girl went to Breanna Waka and the All-Round Top Junior Boy was Te Waaka Popata-Henare.
Kaharau Mendes received the “He toka tū” Award For Contribution to Kapa Haka, and the award for Top Senior Māori Language Orator. Isaiah Nin was named Top Junior Māori Language Orator.
When it came to sports achievement, Addi Albert-Jones won the senior award and Lavina Elliott the junior award.
At this year’s dinner, Whaea Waimirirangi Paul and Matua Peter Walters decided to formalise the announcement of the kaitātaki wahine (female leader) and kaitātaki tāne (male leader) of the Kapa Haka group for 2019.
Sheye Semple (female leader) and Kaharau Mendes (male leader) from this year handed over the ‘mauri’ in the form of a patu and taiaha to the two new leaders, Assina Te Paa-Kolio (female) and Kisepi Ma’afu Roberts (male).
Ms Paul said the Year 13s had been an at times challenging group but she had loved working with them and watching their progress. She welcomed them to come back and visit as they would always be part of the whanau.
In a beautiful musical interlude, Abbey-Jean Kaipara performed waiata with the backing of Andre Pickering on guitar.
In their farewell speeches, Sheye Semple and Kaharau Mendes paid tribute to their Year 13 classmates, saying they had all come a long way in their time at Te Puna o Wairaka.
