Come to Beautiful New Zealand!

By Latesha

Kiwiana Collage

New Zealand Adverts

This term our class have been learning about Kiwiwana in Learning Pathways. Our learning question was 'What makes us Kiwi Kids and how can we show the world that being Kiwi is 'cool as'?

As a result, we are presenting out learning by creating adverts to persuade people to come to New Zealand by telling them all the amazing things about our home country.

Stay tuned as we show the world premiere of these adverts here on our blog!

Year 6 Graduation!

Yesterday afternoon we had Year 6 Graduation.

The day started off with Mrs Dunlop saying her speech and everyone singing our New Zealand National Anthem. After Mrs Dunlop's speech we all sang Little Drummer Boy.

Then Mrs Dunlop announced the winners for 'The Best We Can Be' awards.
There were so many winners and I thought they all deserved the award and so we all gave them a big round of applause.

A while after that they announced the 'Aspring Leadership' awards and so they named "Kalisi, and the next girl who will be awarded this trophy goes to...Shiroh Tata!" I was in shock but also proud of my award then I was on stage getting hand my lay from Megan as well as a trophy and certificate from Mrs Dunlop. As I walked off the stage, I had a BIG SMILE on my face.

"Now we will be annoncing the 'Top Male and Female Sportsmanship Award' and this award is shared between two girls and they are Mia Tata and her sister Shiroh Tata!" said Mrs Dunlop.

Once again I was in bigger shock but also very very proud of myself and Megan gave me a lay again and i got a warm hug and a trophy from Mrs Takatainga.

Overall I was very proud of myself and so were my family about my achievement through the past years at primary.

As I got home my mum gave me some money and my sisters and I went down to the mall and bought some things there. For me and my sister graduating we had a big dinner and i enjoyed every second of it!

By Shiroh

My Graduation

Do you want to know about my graduation?

When the Year 6 were under the canopy, we started our graduation. Before I got on the stage I was ever so nervous to go up but when I was on the stage, I didn't feel shy because I was proud.

When I got a gold award I was Happy and I was very proud to "Be the best I can." Then, when it was finished, we went back to class and we wrote a recount about our graduation.

A wonderful Fiafia Day

On Thursday the 3rd of December, we all had a lovely day. When I got to school I saw lots of kids playing. First the bell went and we all went inside our classes then Miss Hughes said it is a special day today and we were so happy. Next we all went under the Canopy with our teacher and the kids.


Finally all the classes were coming and the Maori kids went up the stage and perform. After they performed they were so cool. Soon after that the Maori went and sat down. Later the Tongan came up on the stage and danced to their song. The best one I like when they all danced and it was so beauitful and wonderful.

Then the Cook Islanders came on and their uniform was wonderful and I really loved the Tongan group and the Cook Island. Also the Maori were so cool. After that we went up the stage and performed.


After we performed Mrs Dunlop came up the stage with Mrs Fuli. Mrs Fuli was so happy to come up on the stage. Also kids took some flowers and lollies. After that Tua said, "May the teachers come up and dance." When all the teacher's came and danced, me and Miss Hughes danced along to the song and I was so happy when me and Miss Hughes danced.

At last Mrs Dunlop said, "Thank you for coming. I hope everyone has had a good time!" When Mrs Dunlop said something everyone was gone.

I love to be a Samoan. I wish that we can do Fiafia Day again.


By Masina

Fiafia Day by Ethan

On Thursday 3rd December 2009 we had a culture day when people in our school get into their culture groups to do a performance. There were four groups which were Samoan, Maori, Tongan and I was in the Samoan group.

First we had to have a rehearsal and show our item in our school uniform. After that rehearsal we had to have a quick playtime .

After that we had to go to our places and put on our costumes and then we had to practise when the parents started to enter our school. Then we had to wait for a little while and get ready. We had to wait for ages because we had to wait for the little juniors to finish their playtime.

When they finished play, we had to go out to where we were going to sit. When we went out, there were some groups already there like Maori and Cook Island. The Maori group was on the stage ready to perform.The Tongan group started to make their way over. When they got over here we started our Fiafia Day.

The first group was Maori. They did four items. Next was the Tongan, they did two items and then the Cook Island came on and did three items.

After that it was our turn, the Samaon group . We were doing two items including the dance for the teachers only which makes it three items.

I thought it was a really great day. I really enjoyed the Cook Island and the Samaon because they were both funny.

By Ethan

Latesha Reading her Fiafia Day Recount

Christina reading her Fiafia Day Recount

Our Fiafia Day:)

Last Thursday at school we had a FiaFia Day. A Fiafia Day mans a happy day and there were all sorts of cultures there.

Firstly our morning started off with Mrs Dunlop (our Principal) saying her speech.

After that I introduced Te Waiariki Maori Group to the stage. Te Waiariki Maori Culture Group sang He Honore (a hymn), Toia Mai (an action song), Kamate (a haka) and lastly Pakake Mai, a fun Jump Jam Song. While I was up on stage I was nervously waiting and as we were singing Pakake Mai i could see the little children dancing along!

Meanwhile the Tongan Group were already on stage. Their performance consisted of a Tau'olunga (a Female dance) and a Fute (a funny entertainment song). I enjoyed watching the Fute because it was quite funny.

Later the Cook Island Group stood on stage. Watching the Cook Islanders perform made me feel energetic watching their rhythmical moves and swaying hips.

Finally the Samoan Culture Group waited on stage to perform their items. In their performance they performed a Tau'olunga, a Sasa and a Ma'ulu'ulu. I really enjoyed watching Sarai and Farah dancing and watching Toe running around on the stage.

Overall I really liked watching the Cook Island Group they were so full of energy and rhythmical.

By Shiroh

Fiafia Day by Tuni

Yendrra School Fiafia Day!

Have you had a Fiafia Day at your School?

On Thursday 3th December 2009,Yendarra School had a Fiafia Day and I was quite excited because this is Senior's day to perform. So, do you know which groups were going to dance? The groups that were going to dance were Maori, Samoan, Tongan and Cook Island.

First it was time to get changed and when I started to get change, I looked nice. Then my group Samoa was ready and we went outside and I saw the Cook Island group they looked amazing and their clothes were like my group.

After that Michael Pule started to say something and it was Shiroh's turn to say that we have to stand up and sing the National Anthem. I was singing it in follow by heart and everybody in the School(and Parent)were singing wonderful,beautiful like Miss Hughes. It was like we are going to play for the All Blacks team and I was feeling happy when I was singing the song.

Then we all sat down and it was time to do the dance but, it was the Maori group fist and they were singing clearly and wonderful like the All Blacks. After a while, the boys were starting to do the Haka and that was amazing .I was feeling happy because it looks like the School is looking at the All Blacks.

When the Maori group finished it was time for Mele speacked cleally and wonderful and the Togan dance started it look like they were dancing like the Samoan group.

After Abigail came up the stage with the Cook Island group. The Cook Island were amazing and I like when they were dancing and the last part was nice and my favourite part was that they were still dancing and they went out of the stage .

I was so so excited because it was my group's turn,then it was time to do the girls dance and my mum was happy and smiling and Soa said that we have to smile so I smile so I smile bright like the sun shine and when the girls dance finished it was time to do the Sasa. The Sasa is one that everyone had to join in with and you can do any actions.

Mrs Dunlop told Mrs Fuli to come up the stage because she is leaving Yendarra School and all of the speakers were holding flowers and lollies. Then Sarai and Farah stood up and their dance was amazing and I think I hope next year I will dance like that. All of the teachers were dancing and Miss Hughes stood up because Mrs Dunlop said that some teachers can come up and dance. Miss Hughes was trying her best trying to dance like a Samoan lady.

When the show was over, everybody packed up their things and went back home and all of the groups went back and change back to their uniform.

My favourite one was all of them because they were dancing beautifully and wonderfully. I hope that we do it next year and next week.

By Tracey

Celebration of Culture at Yendarra's Fiafia day

Do you have a Fiafia Day at your school?
Did you know Fiafia day is to celebrate your culture? On Thursday 3rd December 2009 we had our Fiafia Day.
Maori group was on the stage first and they had the coolest face paint in Yendarra.
When the Tongan group came on the stage they made the hardest stomps like a elephants.
After the Tongon group the Cook Island group went on the stage. I was proud to be in Cook Island group.
Meanwhile all the Samoan students went on the stage and they were proud to go up on stage.
When they finished, everyone screamed and clapped when it was over.
Then we all went to the Cook Island room to get changed in the toilet. When we got changed, everyone went back to class.
When I got to class we did the roll call and we went off to do our work.

By Jumar

Fiafia Day

Do you want to know about my Fiafia day?

Well last Thursday we had a Fiafia Day. Early in the morning, some parents came in and decorated the stage.

Then at 9.15 am all the Senior classes came out where the net ball court is. Then we all went into our places ready for the show.

After that the Maori group went up on the stage but first Abigail started speaking then Michael said that we were going to do our National Anthem.

Next Shiroh said that the Maori group were going to do their performance. Then the Maori group started to do their performance and it was awesome!

Then the Tongan group did their lovely dance and I thought their costumes were amazing.

After that the amazing Cook Island group did theirs .Then the last group of the day was the Samoan group and they were lovely.

My favourite performance group was the Cook Island because the boys legs were moving hard and the girls hips were shaking hard and I couldn't take my eyes off of them. But all of them were good.

At 1.00 we had to get to get out of our costumes then we all went back to our classrooms but it was a lovely day and I wish it was like that every single day!

By Latesha

Fiafia Day

On Thursday 3rd of December 2009 we had a Fiafia Day to celebrate all the culture groups at Yendarra School.

First our Principal Mrs Dunlop was welcoming all the parents and family who came to our Fiafia Day.

After that the Maori group came and performed their dance.

After that the Tongan group was on and they sang their National Anthem then they did their beauitful dance.

When the Tongan group finished their dance, the Cook Island group was on and at the end of their dance the Cook Island group did a drum dance.

Later, when the Cook Islanders finished, my group was on which was the Samoan group. I was so scared to go on the stage because I was the first person to go on. The best part I liked about my group was when the girls were dancing and at the end of it the two girls stood up and did a dance and all the teachers were dancing and I was laughing.

After that our Principal Mrs Dunlop came up on the stage again and thanked the parents and family who came to our Fiafia Day.

After that we all went back and got into our uniform then went to our classes before having our lunch.

I wish we have another Fiafia Day next year!

By Leinati

Fiafia Day

Would you like to know what my favourite part of Fiafia day was?

My favourite part was the Tongan's, the Maori and the Cook Island group.

First the Maori perfomed. I thought the Maori people were cool and I really liked Rewi saying the haka because he looked like Maui.

Then the Tongan group sang and danced. I thought the Tongan group nearly broke the stage!

Third the Cook Island group went on the stage. The best one was the Cook Island group. I was proud to be a Cook Islander.

Next year I would like to do Fiafia day again because it was so fantastic!

By Frank

The Story of Fiafia Day

Do you want to know what we did on Fiafia Day?

On Thursday 3rd December we went to get ready to go and dance in front of the whole school because it was our Fiafia Day.

When we started, the Maori group was cool because they did the haka.

After that, the Tongan group went on the stage. The best part in the Tongan group was when they stomped and nearly broke the stage!

Then the Cook lsland group went on the stage and this was my group. When we started everybody started to scream and clap. I was so proud!

Then the Samoan group went on the stage and the first dance was so cool and amazing. Later during the Tau a' lunga the teachers started to dance too!

After that the bell rang to go to class and when we came to class Miss Hughes said, "We are going to write a recount about what happened on Fiafia Day for our class blog."

I hope we have another Fiafia Day next year because it was cool!

By Mawutu

Fiafia Day at Yendarra School!

Tomorrow, the Senior Hapu are planning to lead our school Fiafia Day. This will be a vibrant celebration of the many different cultures we are lucky to have represented within our school community.

Students from across the Senior Hapu have been working hard over recent weeks in preparation for this special day and we are looking forward to welcoming family and friends of our school to see our cultural performance.

At the moment, it is pouring down with rain here in Auckland but fingers crossed we will wake up to beautiful bright sunshine tomorrow!

Keep checking our blog as we share the good news about our Fiafia Day later in the week.

Good Luck Seniors!

Peter Jackson

Peter Jackson is a famous person who is a film director. He is a person who takes photos and he makes movies as well by telling people what to do. He was born in 1961, on October 31st in New Zealand.

I like watching his movies, especially the one called Lord of the Rings and this other movie that he directed called King Kong. Also, it looks like that he lives by himself alone without people and parents too.

Also do you know all about Peter Jackson? I would really love to find out all about him because if he is famous as too and maybe I could act on TV or in his movies if I knew him.

I really think that his favourite movie was King Kong because that was my favourite movie and I always watched it when I was a little child.

I would really love to look forward to meeting him some day and maybe he could come and visit in the future some time. Maybe I could come and visit him too.

By Pele

Sir Edmund Hillary

Do you know who Sir Edmund Hillary is? Sir Edmund Hillary is a really famous kiwi because he was the first person in the world to climb the highest mountain in the world (Mount Everest). He was born on 20th July 1919 in Auckland. In 1995 Sir Edmund Hillary got rewarded the order of garter by Queen Elizabeth II.

Sir Edmund Hillary died in 2009. At Sir Edmund Hillary's memorial we saw him go past in his coffon it was sad to see him die.When he was in the memorial, me, my mum, dad and two brothers saw people take Sir Edmund Hillary out of the memorial. While they were carrying him in the coffin, lots of people were crying to see how sad it was for them. He will always be remembered for his amazing achievements climbing the highest mountain (Mount Everest).

By Lauryn

Valerie Vili

On October the sixth 1984 Valerie Adams was born. She lives in Rotorua where she was born.

As she turned twelve she started playing Shot Put after winning a school competition.

Two years later her mother had been diagnosed with cancer and had died but that never stopped her from doing what she loved.

Later on in her life she met her coach Kristen Hellier in 1998. Kristen Hellier was a former Silver  Medalist at Shot Put.

In 2002, Valerie Adams won the Junior Champs with a throw of 17.73 metres and thats when she became world famous.

In the 2008 Olympic Games she got given a Gold Medal and had won for New Zealand. Later that year she met Bertrand Vili and short after they married her name changed to Valerie Vili.

In 2012 we still look forward to seeing her at the 2012 Olympic Games in London!

By Shiroh

MARGARET MAHY

 WHO'S MARGERET MAHY?

A famous NZ author called Margaret Mahy tried to write a book when she was seven because she loved to read books and since she loved books so much, she wrote one herself!

When Margaret Mahy was seven her mum was a teacher and her dad was a builder.

Then a few years later when Margaet Mahy grew up and wrote many books,she started to get some rewards like Best Children's Author and the Esther Glen Award.

Margret Mahy is famous for poems and New Zealand books like 'Down the Back of the Chair'.

I  think that Margaret Mahy is a terrific New Zealand children's author because she is hard working and she writes my favourite books and poems. 

By Christina.

Lynley Dodd

Do you know how Lynley Dodd became an author?

Lynley Dodd is a famous author and she was born on 5th July 1941.

Her place of birth is Rotorua and she now lives in Tauranga. Lynley Dodd is a children's writer, known internationally as the great creator of Hairy Maclary.

Then in 1999 she received the Margaret Mahy award in 2002 and the best thing is knowing that thousands of children (and grown ups) around the world are reading her books. The worst thing about being an author is trying to meet dead lines (she's quite good but still worries about it!)

Lynley Dodd's favourite food is tasty Soup, Strawberries and Mushrooms.

Art was her favourite subject at school but she hated maths! She had many favourite authors as a child like Winnie the pooh,The Dr seuss books and Enid Blyton.

Lynley Dodd's books are amazing because she always uses WOW words like Miss Hughes and is so WONDERFUL!

Lynley Dodd is a famous for Hairy Maclary and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

By Tracey

Margaret Mahy

In 1963 there was a famous author and poet born and her name was Margaret Mahy. Margaret Mahy was born in Whakatane in the bay of Plenty in New Zealand on March the 21st.

Margaret Mahy lives in Governor's Bay at the head of Lyttelton Harbour and moved there in 1965. When Margaret Mahy was older she did not get married and she lives by herself. She loves to look after her two grandchildren who are girls and their names are Alice and Poppy.

Margaret Mahy worked as a nurse's aide for six months before going to Aunckland University College in 1952-1954 and Canterbury University College in 1955, graduating with a BA.

Margaret Mahy has written lots of stories and poems and she wrote a book and a poem called Down the Back of the Chair; which we really enjoyed reading.

Margaret Mahy's work has been translated into fifteen languages.Awards include the New Zealand Library Association's Esther Glen Medal, the British Library Association's Carnegie Medal, the young Observer Fiction Prize and the Dutch Silver Pencil.

Margaret Mahy writes in her bedroom and she writes when she has an idea to make her own books. Margaret Mahy started writing when she was seven and enjoyed reading books by other authors.

I am looking forward to reading new books from Margaret Mahy.

By Leinati

Tim Tipene

Tim Tipene is a famous NZ icon because he is a Warrior Kids facilitator and author. He was born on 12th June 1972. He is now living in Waitakare, Auckland. Tim Tipene grew up in New Zealand and is a famous Kiwi author.

He created Warrior Kids in 1994 and taught kids how to be a Warrior kid. Tim Tipene was known as a famous NZ Warrior because he was Warrior Kids facilitator. Tim Tipene wrote books about Warrior Kids because was the children's facilitator.Tim Tipene also wrote his first book in 1999.Tim Tipene went on to provide the life-skills programme to school and communities throughout NZ for eleven years , empowering thousands of children and families.

Tim Tipene said his most embarrassing moment was when he missed a plane and got so upset about it that he made a scene.

Tim Tipene had written awesome books and most people would maybe learn from his books.

How amazing Tim Tipene is!

By Michelle

Kiwi Biographies

Over the last week, we have been writing biographies about our favourite New Zealand icons. Today we are publishing them so stay tuned to see some of the biographies we have written! Enjoy reading them and don't forget to leave a comment to tell us what you think.

Room 13