They joined team leader Tiepa Tahanga, who co-ordinated the event.
Tahanga said Te Reo Rua “helps and supports the revitalisation of te reo Māori, but also supports the rest of the school with their reo, their tikanga, and all Māori practices”.
Māori and non-Māori tamariki (children) can attend Te Reo Rua classes, which have been running for four years.
Pāpāmoa Primary students Susan Rata, Kelsey Reid, Keala Donovan, and Leah Grant, joined Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori celebrations. Photo / Bijou Johnson
Kaiako/teacher for Te Reo Rua, Kahurangi Poa, said the programme “brings a te ao Māori lens, enriching students’ learning with Māori values such as manakitanga (hospitality) and aroha (love)”.
Pāpāmoa Primary School teach students to understand their local environment through a te ao Māori perspective, whether they’re in a Te Reo Rua or mainstream class.
Tamariki visit their local marae, where they are taught about the main iwi and learn their pepeha (introduction).
Poa said Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori had always been a major focus in Pāpāmoa Primary School’s calendar. Since 2025 marked 50 years since its inception, they wanted to make sure the milestone was celebrated and acknowledged.
Pāpāmoa Primary School has planned a jam-packed week of events. From a disco and vocabulary challenges to a Ki o Rahi (a traditional Māori ball sport), the school have gone the extra mile for the 50th anniversary.
Poa said Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori provided students with a connection to the whenua (land) and enabled them to learn about Māori culture.
Kenrick Smith, the land artist behind the spray gun, said “it’s really cool” that Pāpāmoa Primary - and other schools - are prioritising Māori language.
Kenrick Smith, Land Artist, painted Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori logo on Pāpāmoa Primary School's field. Photo / Kenrick Smith
As a land artist, Smith does a lot of work outdoors.
“Māori language is a part of our land. I’m not tangata whenua myself, but the use of te reo Māori grounds me in the land.”
All of Smith’s materials are sustainable. The chalk will wash away, and the charcoal he uses is made from pine waste from Taupō.
He began creating sand and land art during the 2021 lockdown, using charcoal for sand paintings and chalk for grass, gravel, and concrete surfaces.
