te-pakahi-o-maru

Newsletter - 5th May 2023

Fri, 05 May 2023 01:51:57 GMT

Kia ora koutou

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Welcome back to Term 2, we have had a wonderful start to the term and it is lovely to see our tamariki back and engaged in their learning.

We have a busy term this term with some exciting learning, we are looking forward to celebrating another Matariki breakfast toward the end of the term. We will let you know more details about this soon.

Road Crossing

Thank you to those of you that are supporting the use of our road crossing. Our senior tamariki are doing a great job getting everyone across the road safely.

However, I have noticed a few of our families are not using the crossing, please use the pedestrian crossing with your tamariki even if the road patrollers are off duty as we are wanting all our students to know how to cross the road safely.

Winter Uniform

We have the new polar fleeces available for purchase in the office. This fleece has our school logo embroidered on it. If you already have a good fleece at home, it is kei te pai for your child to continue to wear this and get a new one once they need the bigger size. From this term on it is expected that we will have red winter tops only please.

School Sports

Netball has started for the term and is played on a Friday afternoon. If your child is playing netball, please keep an eye on our Facebook page for the draw. Please make sure you get your child to the courts in plenty of time before the game. I would like to thank Ani and Shannon for coaching our netball teams.

Ka mihi

Sara

What’s coming up!

Tuesday 9th May

St Johns in Schools

Thursday 11th May

North Otago Music Festival Rehearsal - 10am

Friday 12th May

Assembly 2pm

Thursday 18th May

Board Meeting 5.30pm

Friday 19th May

White Stone City Trip (whole School)

Newsletter - 6th April 2023

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 23:09:52 GMT

Kia ora koutou

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

We have made it to the end of term. As usual it has been incredibly busy with some great learning and lots of fun at school. Our school roll continues to steadily grow and it has been great to welcome new students to our kura this term.

150th Jubilee Celebrations

In 2022 Oamaru North School, now Te Pākihi o Maru, was 150 years old. However, due to Covid restrictions the school will be celebrating this milestone this year. We will be celebrating this milestone with an open day at Te Pākihi o Maru where our school community and any past staff and pupils are welcome to join us. This event will be a gala type event with the opportunity to have a look around the school and share in the learning that our tamariki have been doing. This year our inquiry learning focus is 150 years ago and we are learning about the way things were back in time. This celebration will take place during Oamaru's Victorian week on Friday 17 November.

Disco

I would like to thank our school PTA for the wonderful disco we had last Friday. The hall was fabulously decorated and our tamariki had so much fun. We are grateful to have such a hard working group fundraising for our tamariki.

Kaiako Only Day 24th April

On the 24th of April school will be closed for a Kaiako only day. Our Kaiako will be working on the Digital Technology curriculum, the Writing curriculum and planning some fun learning activities for Term 2.

Sabbatical Term 2

I will be away on sabbatical leave for Term 2. I am undertaking study in ‘Huakina Mai’ which is a Kaupapa-Māori school-wide initiative that sits within the Positive Behaviour for Learning suite of evidence based initiatives. It promotes whānau, iwi and schools working together to build a culturally sustainable and restorative school culture. I am very much looking forward to understanding how this will strengthen our current restorative practices.

During my absence Sara Jones-Hogan will be Acting Principal and can be contacted at sarajones-hogan@tpom.school.nz . Sarndra Wallace will be Acting Deputy Principal during this time.

On that note I wish everyone a very happy and safe Term holiday and look forward to seeing you all in Term 3.

Ka mihi

Stacey

What’s coming up!

Monday 24th April

Kaiako Teacher only day

Tuesday 25th April

Anzac Day - School Closed

Wednesday 26th April

Term 2 Starts

Wednesday 3rd May

Home and School meeting 3.15pm, in the staffroom

Newsletter - 24th March 2023

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 19:55:59 GMT

Kia ora koutou

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

We only have two weeks of the term left! I can’t believe how quickly this term has gone.

Swimming

We have had 3 days of swimming this week and we have another three days next week. This is an important part of our curriculum and the tamariki are really enjoying their lessons. If your child is not going to swim they need to have a note from home stating why please.

Waitaki Ara Kāhui Ako Kaiako only day

This week our team joined staff from Fenwick School, Oamaru Intermediate, Waitaki Boys High School and Waitaki Girls High School to learn together. We had a fabulous speaker talking about trauma and emotional needs of tamariki, there were workshops on Math teaching, Reading teaching, the new curriculum and social and emotional regulation programmes. The day was fabulous and it was great to see professionals from all schools working together. This collaboration and learning can only benefit our tamariki and our community.

School Website

Our school website has a wealth of information. It holds our school policies and procedures, a school calendar and updates on learning around the school. It also has our newsletters. Remember to visit www.tepakihiomaru.school.nz or use the QR code in this newsletter to visit our website.

Ka mihi

Stacey

What’s coming up!

Wednesday 29th - Friday 31st March

Swimming 9.30am - 11.30am

Friday 31st March

School Disco 4.00 - 6.00pm

Thursday 6th April

Assembly 2pm

End of Term 1

Monday 24th April

Kaiako Teacher only day

Tuesday 25th April

Anzac Day - School Closed

Wednesday 26th April

Term 2 Starts

Wednesday 3rd May

Home and School meeting 3.15pm, in the staffroom

10th March 2023 - Newsletter

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 02:06:01 GMT

Kia ora koutou

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Strike action by Tumuaki and Kaiako - Thursday 16 March

Next Thursday 16 March school will be closed due to a strike by Tumuaki and Kaiako. This is the last thing we want to do and we have not made this decision lightly. However, we need to stand up for the education our tamariki deserve and the working conditions that we deserve.

We thought this was the only way that the Government would recognise that when they support our children to learn and succeed, we are supporting whānau and communities to thrive.

Our tamariki need a quality education. And we want to give that to them. Unfortunately, the funding for our schools is not enough for us to give us the time we would like to support all our kids to thrive.

We need to attract and retain educators by ensuring that teaching is a valued and attractive profession. Principals and teachers in primary and area schools have considered at length offers from the government to settle our respective collective agreements.

The offers did not meet our expectations, nor make sufficient steps towards the changes we need for our children to succeed.

We look forward to another great year in 2023 – and together with your support, building the case for better investment in our tamariki.

Te Pākihi o Maru Home and School

The Home and School is our school community working together to fundraise for our school. Some of the fundraising we offer is raffles, crazy hair days, disco’s, school fair, sausage sizzles and much more. We are always looking for more ideas and people to come and join the Home and School to help with planning and running these events.

If you would like to join our Home and School please contact Julie - pta@tpom.school.nz , through our facebook page Te Pākihi o Maru Home and School or pop along to our next meeting Wednesday 15th March at 3.15pm in the staffroom.

Ka mihi

Stacey

What’s coming up!

Wednesday 15th March

Home and School meeting - in the staffroom - 3.15

Tuesday 21st March

Teacher only day

Wednesday 22nd - Friday 24th March

Swimming 9.30am - 11.30am

Thursday 23rd March

BOT meeting 5.15pm

Wednesday 29th - Friday 31st March

Swimming 9.30am - 11.30am

Thursday 6th April

Assembly 2pm

End of Term 1

Newsletter - 24th February 2023

Sun, 26 Feb 2023 19:43:59 GMT

Kia ora koutou

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Our learning programmes are well underway in the classrooms now and it is great to see our tamariki so settled into their classroom routines.

Meet and Greet

We had a great whānau evening last week. This was a great opportunity for our whānau to meet their child’s kaiako and have a look around the classrooms. This was followed up by a fabulous assembly last Friday.

Harold the Giraffe

Next week Harold will be visiting the school. The Life Education Bus is an engaging way for our tamariki to learn more about health and physical education. This year they will be focusing on building healthy relationships.

Tumuaki Award

Tēnā koe Siope - kua pai temahi! Siope won the Tumuaki award for always showing kindness to his friends at school. Tino pai - we are very proud of you.

Ka mihi

Stacey

What’s coming up!

Tuesday 28 Feb -

school finishes 12.30pm

Wednesday 1st March

Wheely Wednesday

Friday 3rd - Wednesday 8th March

Harold visiting

Friday 10th March

Assembly 2pm

Wednesday 22nd - Friday 24th March

Swimming 9.30am - 11.30am

Thursday 23rd March

BOT meeting 5.15pm

Wednesday 29th - Friday 31st March

Swimming 9.30am - 11.30am

Thursday 6th April

Assembly 2pm

End of Term 1

Newsletter - 30th November 2022

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 20:58:22 GMT

Kia ora koutou

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

School Fair

We had our first school fair last Friday afternoon and it was a huge success! Our tamariki had lots of fun and it was great to see our community back enjoying our school. We raised a total of $2,100 which is going to go towards a new sandpit. I would like to thank the PTA for all of their hard work in organising this event. I look forward to next year’s fair!

Kaiako Employment Negotiations

Thank you for your support in our recent early school closure. This was to allow our kaiako to attend paid union meetings for their contract negotiations with the government.

What the kaiako are asking for and what the government offered are miles apart. Key elements that are being asked for are not pay related but relate to working conditions that would enable them to support your children to get a better education. This includes smaller classes, extra resourcing for students with additional learning needs and a bit more time to plan effective programmes that meet more individualized needs. Kaiako are also asking for similar school resourcing that the secondary schools have. The pay offer in relation to current cost increases is effectively a pay cut as it didn’t even match the cost-of-living increases. Your support is appreciated and we may call on you for further support if the government continues to undervalue our kaiako.

Learning Conversations

We are closing early on Monday 5 and Tuesday 6th of December to allow whānau to meet with kaiako to share your child’s learning success for the year. Please make time to come and have a chat as it is important for you to know where your child is at with both their learning and social skills. You can book a time through the Skool Loop app or by phoning Sarah on 434 7512.

Progress Reports

Our end of year progress reports will be going home on Friday. Please check your child’s bag for these. There will also be a class list for 2023 letting you know which class your child is in. If you have any questions at all about this list, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or pop in and see me.

Ka mihi

Stacey

What’s coming up!

5th & 6th December

Early finish - Learning Conversations 1.00pm - 4.00pm

7th December

Learning Conversations 3.00pm

14th December

Final Assembly 1pm

Last day of term

Term 1 starts - 1 February 2023

Newsletter - 11th November 2022

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 05:16:28 GMT

Kia ora koutou

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

School finishing st 12.30pm Tuesday 15 November

We will be finishing school at 12.30pm on Tuesday 15 November. This is to allow our kaiako to attend paid union meetings to negotiate their employment contract with the Ministry of Education. It is important that they attend these meetings to ensure they can share their views on the workload and wellbeing of kaiako in Aotearoa.

School Athletics - Monday 21 November

Put this date in your diary! Our school athletics will start at 9.30am. Please come along and watch your tamariki participate in this fun day.

Strategic Planning

It is time to start thinking about the future direction of learning at Te Pākihi. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas about what is important to you for your child. There will be an afternoon tea after our final assembly and I would love to get your feedback then.

School Fair 25th November from 2pm

I would like to thank the PTA for organising our school fair that is coming up on the 25th of November. This is to raise money for a new sandpit in our playground. If you have anything that you would like to drop off for the white elephant stalls, there is a bin in the office to do that.

Ka mihi

Stacey

What’s coming up!

15 November

School closed at 12.30pm

16th - 18th November

Toroa Camp

21st November

Whole School Athletics

25th November

School Fair Afternoon

5th & 6th December

Early finish - Learning Conversations 1.00pm - 4.00pm

7th December

Learning Conversations 3.00pm

14th December

Final Assembly 1pm

Last day of term

Newsletter - 02nd September 2022

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 00:43:12 GMT

Kia ora koutou

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Structured Literacy

You may have heard the constant buzz about structured literacy needing to be taught in schools. A structured literacy approach systematically teaches systematic word identification and decoding strategies which benefits all students. We have been undertaking professional development in this way of teaching for 2 years and we are seeing significant positive results in our learners. I am pleased to say that we are well into the journey of teaching whole school structured literacy.

Fiefia Night

Our tamariki have been working hard learning a song and dance to share next Tuesday evening. I would like to thank Ani and her team for coming along and teaching our tamariki. It is great to have older siblings coming from Waitaki Girls and Boys to support them.

Kapa Haka

Mrs Jones and Eddie have been working extremely hard with our kapa haka group to get them ready for their performance next Thursday afternoon at the Opera House. Please go along to support them.

Ka mihi

Stacey

What’s coming up!

Tuesday 6th September

Fiefia Night

Thursday 8th September

Hui Ako - Opera House in the afternoon

Wednesday 14th September

PTA Meeting, 3.15pm in the Staffroom

Friday 16th September

Assembly 2.15pm

Thursday 29th September

School Photos

Friday 30th September

Assembly 2.15pm

Last day of term

Monday 17th October

Term 4 starts

Newsletter- 24th June 2022

Sun, 26 Jun 2022 23:37:06 GMT

Kia ora koutou

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Mānawatia a Matariki

What a fabulous parakuihi celebration we had this morning. Thank you to those of you who braved the cold and joined our tamariki to celebrate Matariki. Our tamariki have worked so hard with their waiata and creating and practising their dances. I am super proud of the effort that has been put into our Matariki learning. Tino whakahīhī ki te ako!

Te Ahu o Te Reo Māori

I would like to congratulate our kaiko who have all taken part in the above learning to improve their Te Reo knowledge. This has been a huge commitment on their part, attending classes every Wednesday for the last 16 weeks. They also gave up one of their Saturday’s to learn onsite at Moeraki Marae. Ngā mihi nui ki

ngā kaiako katoa - our tamariki are blessed to have such a dedicated team!

What is a Kāhui Ako?

A Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako is a group of education and training providers that work together to support students in achieving their full potential. Early learning services, me ngā kōhanga reo, schools, kura and post-secondary providers can all be included. We are part of the Waitaki Ara Kāhui Ako alongside Fenwick School, Oamaru Intermediate, Waitaki Girls, Waitaki Boys and the Oamaru Kindergarten Association. Being part of this Kāhui provides opportunities for our staff, whānau and tamariki to work together to ensure the best education pathways possible for our learners.

Board of trustee elections

A board of trustees is an appointed or elected group of individuals that has overall responsibility for the governance of a school. We have our triennial board elections coming up and are looking for nominations. If you are interested or someone you think might be interested please contact Sarah in the office for a nomination form. Nominations close 3rd August 2022.

Ka mihi

Stacey

What’s coming up!

Friday 24 June

Matariki holiday

Monday 4 July

Learning Conversations - school closes 12.30pm

Tuesday 5 July

Learning Conversations - school closes 12.30pm

Wednesday 6 July

Learning conversations 3pm to 4.45pm

Thursday 7 July

Board meeting 5.15pm

Friday 8th July

End of Term

Newsletter - 10th June 2022

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 22:55:31 GMT

Kia ora koutou

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Kia ora koutou,

Matariki

I hope you are keeping up to date with all of the wonderful learning that has been going on about Matariki. We are regularly

posting this learning onto our Facebook page, so keep checking in.

What is a Learning Conversation?

Learning conversations are an opportunity for you and your child to discuss the learning that is happening at school, next learning steps and ways for you to help with learning at home. Your child will be part of this conversation. There will also be an opportunity for you to speak to kaiako without your child in the room, if you wish. These learning conversations are for 15 minutes, however, if you would like longer you can book two time-slots to allow up to 30 minutes. These conversations will take place at school in Week 10 as detailed in ‘What’s coming up!’

How to book your learning conversation:

Learning conversations can be booked through the skool loop app

or you can phone the office 434 7512 and book them with Sarah.

Ka mihi

Stacey

What’s coming up!

Monday 13 June

Teacher only day

Thursday 23 June

Matariki Breakfast 8.30am

Friday 24 June

Matariki holiday

Monday 4 July

Learning Conversations - school closes 12.30pm

Tuesday 5 July

Learning Conversations - school closes 12.30pm

Wednesday 6 July

Learning conversations 3pm to 4.45pm

Thursday 7 July

Board meeting 5.15pm

Friday 8th July

End of Term

Newsletter - 27th May 2022

Fri, 27 May 2022 02:26:53 GMT

Kia ora koutou

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

I am really enjoying seeing the Matariki learning across our school. Each class is learning something new everyday! It is important that our tamariki know

why we are having a day off to celebrate Matariki and the importance of this to Māori. We look forward to celebrating with you at our Matariki breakfast.

Road Crossing

Thank you to those of you that are supporting the use of our road crossing. Our senior tamariki are doing a great job getting everyone across the road safely.

However, I have noticed a few people speeding down this road still and this puts our tamariki at risk. Please slow down to 40km when approaching the crossing.

Homework

I have had a few questions about homework. We believe that our ākonga learn so much during the day that they do not need to have homework in the

evening. However, we do encourage reading for 15 minutes a night. If your child is only learning to read then the best thing you can do is read to them. If you

would like extra learning for any reason, please talk to your child’s kaiako.

Ka mihi

Stacey

What’s coming up!

Thursday 2 June

Board meeting 5.15pm

Monday 6 June

Queens birthday holiday

Monday 13 June

Teacher only day

Thursday 23 June

Matariki Breakfast 9.00am

Friday 24 June

Matariki holiday

Monday 4 July

Learning Conversations - school closes 12.30pm

Tuesday 5 July

Learning Conversations - school closes 12.30pm

Wednesday 6 July

Learning conversations 3pm to 4.45pm

Thursday 7 July

Board meeting 5.15pm

Friday 8th July

End of Term

Newsletter - 4th February 2022

Fri, 20 May 2022 02:14:44 GMT

Kia ora koutou

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Welcome to 2022, it is so lovely being back at school and seeing the smiling faces of our tamariki. It has been an interesting start to the year with the country being at Red Traffic Light, however, it is very manageable.

It is important for you to know that the safety of staff and tamariki is the top priority and we are doing everything we can to ensure that school is as normal as possible for everyone. I am proud of our senior tamariki stepping up and wearing masks in the classroom, they have done this without questions on and show great resilience throughout the day.

Unfortunately the Red Traffic Light means that we can’t have assemblies at this stage and that whānau can’t enter the classrooms. You are able to enter the school grounds if you are wearing a mask. We will keep you up to date with what is happening on our Facebook page and in our newsletters.

As always please feel free to phone me or send me an email if you have any questions or concerns. If necessary we can make me to meet.

Nau mai, haere mai

I would like to welcome three new kaiako to our team. We have John Palethorpe teaching in Ruru, Lucy Doorey teaching in Kereru and Nat Heather will be teaching across the school. We had some fun team building activities during the break and we have created a lovely environment for our kaiako and kaiarahi to work in.

School Swimming

We have postponed the swimming that was planned for term 1. We will schedule this for later in the year when we are not in the Red Traffic Light.

Ka mihi

Stacey

Term 1 Dates

Thursday 17 Feb

BOT Meetng 5pm

7-11 March

Walk n Wheel week

Friday 11 March

School closed Teacher Only day

Monday 21 March

School closed Otago Anniversary day

Thursday 14 April

Last day of Term 1

Monday 2 May

Term 2 begins

Newsletter - 13th May 2022

Fri, 20 May 2022 02:02:04 GMT

Kia ora koutou

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

13th May 2022

Kia ora koutou

We have had a fabulous start to the term and it is so great that the sun continues to shine!

Orange Alert Level

As you know we are at the Orange level at the moment. This has meant a change to our two senior classes as they no longer have to wear masks inside. Of course they are more than welcome to continue doing so if they wish. We welcome whānau back onto the school grounds when dropping or picking up tamariki. We still ask that you don’t enter classrooms at this time as a precaution. We would like to move into hosting assemblies again soon, however, we have not yet set a date for this to start.

School Sports

Administration Upgrade

Thank you for dropping your children off at the Exe Street entrance. Building work continues in the Administration block. It is expected that this will continue for another couple of months, but we will have a lovely, fresh space once completed.

Winter Uniform

Ka mihi

Stacey

Term Two Dates

Thursday 2 June

Board meeting 5.15pm

Monday 6 June

Queens birthday holiday

Monday 13 June

Teacher only day

Thursday 23 June

Matariki Breakfast

Friday 24 June

Matariki holiday

Monday 4 July

Learning Conversations

Tuesday 5 July

Learning Conversations

Thursday 7 July

Board meeting 5.15pm

Friday 8th July

End of Term

Newsletter — 18th February 22

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 02:01:03 GMT

Kia ora koutou

I hope everyone is keeping well and safe in the community at the moment. I would like to assure you that we have very sound plans in place for if or when Covid reaches our school community. You will be kept informed of every step that we have to take to ensure the safety of tamariki, staff and our wider community. If you ever have any questions about this at all, please do not hesitate to contact me at school.

School Lunches

You may have had some chat at home about our school lunches. We have changed our provider to Pozzobons Catering this year and it would be fair to say they have been a great success with the tamariki. One aspect that we particularly like is how environmentally friendly this company is. The packaging is all able to be recycled which is great for our environment.

If your child does not have the school lunch can you please ensure that you don’t send any packaged food such as potato crisps etc in their lunch box. We would prefer that they have fruit and sandwiches or wraps only please.

House Captains

Last week our Year 6 tamariki prepared speeches to apply for a House Captain or Vice Captain position. We were very proud of them all and the hard work they put into their speeches.

Our new captains are:

Whero - Captain is Blair and Vice Captain Tammy

Kōwhai - Captain is Tevita and Vice Captain is Olivia

Kākāriki - Captain is Analuti and Vice Captain is Luke

Kikoraki - Captain is Talia and Vice Captain is Ana

Ka Mihi,

Stacey

Term 1 Dates

7-11 March

Walk n Wheel week

Friday 11 March

School closed Teacher Only day

Monday 21 March

School closed Otago Anniversary day

Thursday 14 April

Last day of Term 1

Monday 2 May

Term 2 begins

te-pakahi-o-maru

Newsletter - 5th May 2023

Kia ora koutou

﻿ Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Newsletter - 6th April 2023

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﻿ Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Newsletter - 24th March 2023

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﻿ Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

10th March 2023 - Newsletter

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﻿ Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Newsletter - 24th February 2023

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﻿ Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Newsletter - 30th November 2022

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﻿ Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Newsletter - 11th November 2022

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﻿ Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Newsletter - 02nd September 2022

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﻿ Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Newsletter- 24th June 2022

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﻿ Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Newsletter - 10th June 2022

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﻿ Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Newsletter - 27th May 2022

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﻿ Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Newsletter - 4th February 2022

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﻿ Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Newsletter - 13th May 2022

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﻿ Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Newsletter — 18th February 22

Kia ora koutou ﻿

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Ngā mihi o te tau hou pakeha.

Kia ora koutou