So on Sunday I ventured down the road to Tauranganui Marae, to attend the Poukai, and listen to my Tumuaki address King Tuheitia and a large contingent of our Tainui community.
I have never been to a Poukai before, and to be fair, I hadn't heard of it before either.
So we were welcomed onto the Marae in our party at around 9.45am, and then proceeded to become part of the Tangata Whenua ropu who waited for the Kings arrival. We learnt the basic actions that would be performed during the powhiri, and then proceeded to welcome King Tuheitia and his people on - accompanied by his band.
Although a long day, and mostly in Te Reo Maori, of which I could make out the gist of some of the korero, it was a culturally enriching experience. Not to mention partaking in the kai, which consisted of Whitebait galore from the Waikato awa, and a beautiful hangi. 
Even better, was that our school Kapa Haka were present, and were part of the celebrations, and helped all day prepare the food. What great ambassadors they were for our kura (the only one present at the Poukai). Ranging in age from 6 years to 16 years
- they did our school proud.
Our Principal's speech was short and sharp, but had a vital message - as a community we need to come together and be participants in our childrens lives. We need to engage in their education. And most of all we want to do this together - with our Maori community.
It was extremely well received, and our Community Engagement Hui tomorrow night at another local Marae should be even better attended than the last!
It was a whole day away from my own whanau, but it was an experience that I wouldn't have had otherwise, and I plan to not make it the last. Connecting with our Maori community and building those relationships is vital, and just being there made me and our kura take a huge step forward in being able to do this effectively.
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