Tamatea’s Matariki Market Night showcases student innovation and community spirit

Tamatea Intermediate School in Napier came alive this week with celebration, culture, and entrepreneurial spirit as the school hosted its Matariki Market Evening, a community event marking the culmination of a full term of rich hands-on, cross-curricular learning.

The future-focused learning provided students with a practical experience while connecting them to the wider community.

Beaming with pride, Jo Smith, the school Principal, welcomed the community warmly.

“The students have been working hard. It's a fantastic, authentic opportunity for our students to connect with their community, for them to learn about manaakitanga, which is one of our core values here at Tamatea Intermediate, welcoming visitors into our kura.’’

Shining Star stall selling Matariki-themed keychains. Photo/Supplied

The evening transformed from a simple night market into the culmination of a dynamic, term-long learning journey, intricately intertwining the rich cultural heritage of Matariki with an understanding of government systems, financial literacy, and relationship building. This allowed students to familiarise themselves with the multiple layers of the world around them.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the student-led event came alive with vibrant energy, showcasing the students’ creativity and ingenuity, a true celebration of their hard work and collaborative spirit.

“The market evening is a culmination of a term's learning, combining our learning about Matariki and our learning about the government and business, and financial literacy,” Smith says.

“So that our students can have a real, authentic opportunity to share that learning with their local community.”

The hands-on learning experience allowed students to form their own businesses, calculate costs and profits, pay taxes, manage bank balances, and even handle rent.

They learned real-world economics creatively and practically, and became adept at selling while interacting with customers, celebrating each sale made. The creativity of the products ranged from “stars in a jar” to star-themed bracelets connected to the meaning of Matariki.

Matariki in a jar themed stall selling jars lit with stars. Photo/Supplied

Another focus of the evening wasn’t just about selling hand-made products or running stalls. It was also an expression of Tamatea’s core values, especially manaakitanga, which encompasses hospitality and care. The event invited whānau, friends, and neighbours to participate in the students' learning and share in the spirit of Matariki.

“The students have been working hard. It's a fantastic, authentic opportunity for our students to connect with their community, for them to learn about manaakitanga, which is one of our core values here at Tamatea Intermediate, welcoming visitors into our kura.’’

On a beautiful evening under the stars, Tamatea Intermediate showed that education thrives when it is authentic, hands-on, and deeply connected to community and culture.