Foxton's Te Pa Harakeke o Te Awahou Maori Immersion Early Childhood Centre recently held their bi-annual fundraising symposium with prestigious Maori leaders sharing their stories.
Alongside other speakers, Sir Mark Solomon told his story of becoming a key player in Ngi Tahu's Treaty of Waitangi settlement, and Maori party co-leader Marama Fox spoke about her journey to becoming a politician.
Chairperson of the Early Childhood Centre Milton Rauhihi said about 100 symposium attendees helped raise more than $20,000 for the centre.
"Early childhood is the most underfunded part of the education sector," he said.
"Without fundraising efforts like the symposium the centre struggles to meet the costs of high-quality Maori immersion education."