One of the features of the national kapa haka competition, which started in Ngāmotu on Tuesday, February 25, is the Tamariki village, which hosts areas for Taku Whare Kōhanga Reo and Whānau Āwhina Plunket.
The area also includes a playground specifically designed for children aged under-five and Plunket’s Tamariki Health Check van.
Natasha Tomlins, a kaiawhina from Whānau Āwhina Plunket, said her organisation’s presence at Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga had been a real success.
She said the village area provided tamariki and their whānau a place to relax away from the busy festival, as well as providing an opportunity to share information about its services.
This covered topics like mental health, car seat safety and its free lactation consultation service.
Staff were also able to answer any pātai whānau might have, Tomlins said.
She said a lot of festivalgoers had been through the space since the first day of competition, and she was expecting it to be busy on Saturday March 1, which was finals day with a sell-out crowd due to attend.
Tomlins said incorporating Te Ao Māori into their mahi was a priority for Whānau Āwhina Plunket so taking up the chance to attend Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga was “a given”.
On Friday, February 28, Te Awa Maihi was one māmā taking advantage of the shade and quiet with her son, 15-month-old Te Aorere Maihi, while the rest of her family watched the action on stage.
“It’s really great to have a space that’s quite relaxed.”
From a parent’s perspective, with the challenges of navigating a busy venue with a pram and supplies for the children, she had enjoyed sitting in a zone where she could rest.
“When I found it, I was like ‘thank you’,” she said.
A big plus for Maihi was that the area was te reo speaking.
“He’s part of the kōhanga reo,” she said of Te Aorere.