A puanga celebration was held at Rainbow Early Childhood Centre in Stratford last Thursday, and centre manager Hilary Bourke says it was a great success.
The children really enjoyed the planning and preparation, she says, adding that they took 16 of the children for a walk through town to Ajax Street where the hangi was put down.
"One of our goals for this year was to learn more about the communities that serve the centre we teach in and how does this impact how Nga Tamariki learn."
Hilary says this "place based education" seeks to answer questions such as Who am I? Who are we? Where are we? How do we fit in? And, What does this place mean to us?
Puanga is the star that signifies the Maori New Year in Taranaki, Hilary explains.