i am proud to say my children are in te pouahi, the bi-lingual unit at nelson central primary school. today they all set off for camp to wellington, this was a little bit different to the mainstream system in that all the children went, including the potiki, the littlest ones. so the 5 year old children - louis included, were sent on their way with some nervous but certain & sure parents behind them. i know i am learning so much about maori culture, philosophies & ways of being through te pouahi, i feel very grateful & inspired by that. one thing i noticed today while we listened to korero, before everyone went on their way, was how everyone listened to the speaker, the pakeha(me & my children included) were flittering all over the place with our eyes, while the maori amongst us were so present with their ears wide open. etiquette, it is so respectful & i will try to emmulate that in future.
