Tamatoa Reading

Mau rakau

Mau rakau is a Maori martial art in which you use a Rakau or a Taiaha. We learn Mau rakau from our teacher Matua Wi. We never forget the moves because of the way he has shown us. Whenever we go out for Mau rakau we go over everything that we have already learnt and then we will learn another move depending on how much time we have.

There are lots of different moves to learn. The moves we have been learning are the Ahae which are the basic moves, Paua are striking moves which inflict pain and Karo which are used to block Paua. Lately we have been learning the Whero and have been training on the cold icy grass.

Learning block

This term we have been learning about water pollution and the causes of water pollution. We had to design a presentation explaining some of the causes of water pollution, we worked in groups and our task was to find a focus question for ourselves and research for a possible answer. we were able to present it as a poster or a power point.

Our class learnt about water pollution and the causes of it. Some causes are oil spills and garbage being dumped into our lakes and rivers. we were marked on our presentation and the best group presentation was rewarded lunch.

What is Tamatoa

Tamatoa is a boys only class that was set up two years ago. The students chosen for this class were hand picked by the Principal Garry de Thierry and the teacher Witakerei Poinga. Tamatoa is the only boys class in Rotorua for the intermediate age level.

Tamatoa is strongly focused on numeracy and literacy, we are also engaged in Maori tikanga and our physical education. We have been learning haka and waiata as part of our Maori tikanga and our fitness has improved substantially.