Category: Ako | Learn

Rm 9 PENN: “Mana Wave” (#UpdaWahs)

This year, our school is all about making kindness contagious with the theme “Make Kindness Go Viral” (Wheoritia te atawhai). One cool way to spread some kindness is with a special greeting – the Mana Wave!

What’s a Mana Wave?

It’s a Māori twist on a friendly wave. Mana, in Māori, is a powerful word that means much more than just prestige or status. It’s about respect, strength, and a special kind of energy. So, a Mana Wave is more than just saying hi – it’s about sharing that positive energy with others.

Who started it?

Truck drivers in Aotearoa/New Zealand came up with the Mana Wave. They’d give a big, enthusiastic wave to other drivers and road crews they passed by. It’s a simple gesture that shows kindness and creates a sense of community.

So give it a try! A Mana Wave is a great way to show someone you care.

Have a tumeke holiday PES – Keep the Mana PES!
Kia Kaha! #UpdaWahs!

“Keeping ourselves Safe” – Safe or unsafe

Constable Gordon, our community guest speaker, talked to us about the real world today.  We used laminated cards with different case scenarios to spark discussion in small groups about how to categorise them as safe, unsafe, or unsure.

Each case scenario was ambiguous because it depended on the context and the people involved. For example, “if someone is staring at you while you come out of the pools…”. If the person staring is a toddler or someone with learning challenges who is unaware of social etiquette, it is unclear whether the situation is safe or unsafe.

Key ideas:

• identify behaviours of other people that make them feel unsafe or uncomfortable
• distinguish between touch they like, touch they don’t like, and touch that confuses them
• say “no” to unwanted touch
• use Stop, Walk, Talk in risky situations.

Overall, the activity made us all more aware of our safety boundaries, regardless of who the other person is.

If you have any questions, talk with your teacher or an adult you can trust.

Keeping ourselves safe

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