Otatara School Legacy of the Kōwhai Tree - 12 April 2021
“Ehara taku toa, i te toa takitahi, Engari he toa takitini” “My success is not from the work of one, but from the work of many”
Today the Kōwhai (New Entrants) and Tarata (Year 5/6) classes visited the nursery to contribute to the legacy that Otatara school gifts to leaving families. At the end of 2020 an initiative between the Southland Community Nursery and Otatara School began with the gifting of Kōwhai trees to those families whose yougest or only child was leaving after having completed their primary schooling. The classes today began the growing of these special taonga for subsequent years gifting. Seed that had been collected was prepared and sowed, and seedlings growing from previous seasons were potted up to allow them to grow into bigger plants ready to be gifted. It was great to see the New Entrant students start alongside the tiny Kōwhai seedlings - they will both grow through to leaving at the end of Year 6. Many of the Year 6 students were excited to find out that their family would get a Kōwhai tree to plant at home on their leaving Otatara School.
Bronwyn
Posted: 12 April 2021