Whare

Matua Grant came to our Rimu Hui and told us a few things about the Whare. Here is my blog post about what he told us. Enjoy.





Te whare wananga o Te Maro

The whare is like a body. The long piece of wood that runs along the top of the Whare is called Tahuhu, the backbone.

Heke ribs The smaller pieces of wood that come off the Tahuhu are called the Heke, the Ribs.

The outside pillars represent arms.

The inside is like the inside of a body.




The wooden figures outside of the Whare represent three Iwi. The top is from Takitimu Waka. The middle one is from Matua. The one on the bottom Is from Ngati Pukenga. They hold a rope which represents the houses of Tauranga Intermediate. The nails in the head of the one on the top is used by carvers to represent hair. Statues like this always face North, as thats the way the sun rises.






He also told us about the carving outside the classrooms of Matai. The head represents an ancestor, and the arms branch out from the sides. The paintings also represent the different classes. There is a tuna, a crab. A mako, shark. And an Eel. Then there is the Tuatara. They are the names of the classrooms in Matai.

Valentines Day

St Valentines was a Roman priest who was secretly organising weddings for soldiers. He was jailed then sentenced to death by the King on February 14th AD 270. We exchange cards, candy, gifts or flowers, with our special valentines. A special valentine is someone that you love.


Americans spend up to 3.6 billion dollars on Valentines gifts each year. 50 million roses are sold each year on Valentines Day. 73% of people who buy flowers for Valentines day are men and 27% are women.15% of the US women send themselves flowers on Valentines day. Eros is the greek god of love and his roman form is Cupid.

Waitangi day

Why are these people carrying this banner?

I found out some facts about the history of Waitangi Day. Let me share the information I found with you. 

The Waitangi Treaty was signed on the Sixth of February, 1840.

It became official in 1934.

Afterwards, It became a Holiday in 1974.

It was signed by many Maori Tribes, and 240 people.

There were a few English men that witnessed this being signed; James Bussby, Henry Williams, Richard Taylor, John Mason, Samuel Ironside, and finally James Stuart Freeman. 

There were Nine copies of the Treaty made.

People protest to remind the government to pay back the land they stole. 

The treaty was made to symbolise peace between the Maori and the Brittish. 

Thank you for taking your time to read what I collected.