Wairarapa-Bush were given a spectacular farewell yesterday by the pupils at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Wairarapa as they head off to play Wanganui for the Meads Cup semifinal of the Heartland championship.
About 60 pupils performed a haka and waiata for the team before coach Mark Rutene thanked the students for their performance.
The team responded by singing their own waiata to the children.
Mr Rutene said the team would be keeping their focus on the game before anything else. "We'll give them a good go - we'll just play our game," he said.
Acting principal Bev Manahi gave a speech to the team as a final farewell.
