Matariki

What is Matariki?
Matariki is the Maori name for the group of stars also known as the Pleiades star cluster or The Seven Sister and what is referred to as the traditional Maori New Year
Why do we celebrate Matariki today?
Today Matariki means celebrating the unique place in which we live and giving respect to the land we live on
How is Matariki celebrated?
Matariki is celebrated with education, remembrance and the planting of new trees and crops signalling new beginnings. Matariki was the optimum time for new harvests, and ceremonial offerings to the land-based gods Rongo, Uenuku and Whiro to ensure good crops for the coming year. It was also seen as a perfect time to learn about the land we live on and to remember whakapapa (ancestry) who have passed from this world to the next and the legacy they left behind.
Who celebrates Matariki?
Anyone who wishes to participate.
What does Matariki mean?
Matariki has two meanings, both referring to a tiny constellation of stars; Mata Riki (Tiny Eyes) and Mata Ariki (Eyes of God).

My Careers Expo Experience

Our hearts racing and filled with excitement just wanting to race to the hall and jump onto the bus and zoom away to the Expo at the ASB Showgrounds as we went to experience our first Careers Expo.
“Line up Roo 1 and walk quietly to the hall’, said Mrs Sigamoney. So off we went walking quietly to the hall. I was so excited that I just wanted to jump onto the bus and leave immediately but it was obvious that I had to wait and leave with my class.
“Excuse me Ina”, I said as I made my way to my seat. With a huge smile on my face I sat down next to Vanessa.
’”So what do you want to be when you grow up?”asked Vanessa starting our conversation. I replied that I wanted to be a lawyer and so we carried on asking each other questions and listened to our different answers.
“Ok everyone keep quiet, we have arrived”, said Mrs Raj.
We had arrived! I didn’t even know that we had arrived because it was so fast and all I wanted to do now was just to slip inside and start looking around.
WOW! This was the only word that came out of our mouths and the expression on our faces, was just so delighted and happy. I was just so, so ........excited I couldn’t explain it in words.

Now the first job I went to was the Engineering career. I collected quite a lot of information about ipads, anything and everything was what engineers made and did.

The second job I went to was the Faculty of Law. I took in lots of information as this was my dream job. I learnt if you wanted to be a lawyer you had to have really good reading, writing and communication skills. The salary range was 60,000 + and you had to have a good written CV.

The next job I Iooked at was Accounting. To be an accountant you had to be good at maths and keep a good account of money. In this profession you had the opportunity to make overseas trips to take care of different banks and businesses and the salary range depended on what stage you were working at.

“Could we please go to the Faculty of Medical Services?” I pleaded with my friends Ina and Sheralee.They agreed and we jumped into the next line.
It seemed like we had been standing there for an hour.
Then there was an announcement for Tamaki Intermediate students to meet at the entrance..At least we gathered some good information.

Soon we had arrived at school after all that huff and puff of hopping into the buses and coming back to school. At least we had learnt quite a lot and now I have a fair idea of what job I want and what the future holds for me which is Law and being a good lawyer.
Thank you Tamaki Intermediate for giving me this opportunity to help me with my learning and my future decisions.

A Persuasive Argument

“A law should be passed restricting cats and dogs to urban areas only. They should be banned from bushes, forests and coastal areas at all times”
I strongly agree with this statement.

Firstly I agree that they should be restricted to urban areas only because dogs and cats and other animals are putting our national icon the kiwi in danger. The problem is that kiwi chicks are being killed by dogs, cats, ferrets, stoats and weasels so they should not be allowed in these areas. There have been quite a lot of attacks on flightless birds such as the kiwi, the kakapo and many more in the bushes and forests. The safety of the kiwis and other birds is of great importance. Only five percent of kiwi babies are surviving to adult age. To be safe from a stoat attack a kiwi has to be about a year old. The present population is now halving every year. Although stoats are the biggest threat to the kiwi, most of the kiwi close to farms and houses have been killed by cats and dogs.

Secondly there has also been serious attacks on people in these areas. Some attacks have been very serious and required extensive surgery and months of recovery. Allowing dogs and cats in coastal and bush areas becomes unsafe for people to enter these areas.

By restricting dogs and cats to urban areas we will not only prevent the kiwi population from becoming extinct but we can also prevent attack on humans. I think animal control should push for this law to be passed

Dogs and cats should be restricted to urban areas only because their owners have better control over them. They can be taken for a walk on a leash so they cannot wander off and cause harm to anyone. Some camps and caravan sites allow pets provided their owners follow their rules.
Therefore I strongly believe that dogs and cats should be banned from bush, forest and coastal areas because of safety to kiwis and other
animals.

A Careers Experience

A variety of jobs surround my head as I try and connect my skills and my passion and look at a career to focus on. As we arrive at the ASB Showgrounds in Green Lane, Tamaki Intermediate year 7 and 8 students and teachers marched out of the bus in a rush realising how late they were. Friday 10th June was the day I recorded in my mind. The day I would look at options for my career. This was the purpose of this trip and to also focus on our topic of Being Enterprising.

The room was filled with darkness. Only a few of the presentations were lit up. After checking on my group I explored the room with my friends beside me, looking for a career choice.
"Wow, an interesting job!” My attention was attracted to becoming a travel agent. Roaming the world and volunteering in several countries was now my dream. I cruised over, suddenly revealing my interest in travelling and interacting with people. The lady explained the qualities you need to have, entry requirements and the job prospects. Even more interesting, it was listed as my first choice for my future.

I walked about a meter away and caught a glimpse of a chef's hat. I turned in interest as the hat was beckoning me towards the exhibit of becoming a chef. Realising how empty my sheet of information was I pulled it out and listened to the lady at the front explaining the job of a chef. The positives and negatives were connected to my likes and dislikes and I chose to become a chef. But how could I remove the thought of becoming a travel agent? I couldn’t, so I carried on with the two thoughts wrestling in my head.

You will always have individual dreams which are chosen freely, your teachers will have dreams for you which are optional and then there are your parents who have dreams for you that are optional, but for some parents it is compulsory which is exactly my case. It's compulsory! My father has a fantasy of me becoming a police officer. I may consider it but I absolutely doubt the idea of becoming one for many reasons. Keeping in mind that he was my father I scoot over to their showcase, listening in on entry requirements, prospects and more. I have been proven wrong. Being a police officer didn't sound entirely horrible!

After enquiring about three careers I immediately felt the urge to start a business. But I couldn't. I'm only twelve years old.Scanning these exhibits I spotted many free things I want to carry back to school with me. In fact I already took three bags. Other than the free stuff this experience opened up a whole new world for me.

Coca Cola Careers Expo

On Friday 10th June 2011 I waited excitedly to go to the Coca Cola Careers Expo at the ASB Show grounds. This was my first visit to a Careers Expo and I didn’t know what to expect.

The Yr 7 and 8 students and staff travelled by bus to the Expo
When we arrived at the Expo Mrs Sigamoney got us to line up and Mr Furivai led us to the hall. I anxiously made my way to the Air Porce people. Quinton and I were interested in the same exhibits so we stayed together.

First we had a go at the Pilot simulator. Quinton went for a while and then crashed. Then I had a go at it and I stayed on until the end which was about ten minutes.

After that we went to see what the Army had to offer. The person in charge was Sam Morris who was a pilot officer. He explained to us the different challenges you had to face in the army. He also gave away free gifts. He gave us a lot of information. We wanted to know how to sign up in the army and what skills do you need

The next place we headed for was the Farming Career exhibit. We saw different kinds of insects which looked pretty scary. They we actually real insects. We found out that to be a farmer you had to be a strong person and have a love for the land.

Finally it was time to leave. I found this to be a good experience and I wished we could have stayed there longer.