Kia ora e te whānau o Kamera, 

Greetings to our Carmel family, 

Our names are Brooke and Sophie and at the end of Term 2, we were appointed as Carmel College’s 2019 Māori Leaders. ‘Māori Leaders’ is a new leadership role that was designed by students, teaching staff and the Senior Leadership Team to uphold Carmel’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi). 

Sophie and I are Year 13 students who share a passion for Māori culture, art, and language. We are active members of the school’s Whānau Group, have taken Te Reo Māori for several years, and have participated in various cultural activities throughout our time at Carmel. We both feel an enormous amount of pride, gratitude and responsibility at being elected to this role and hope we can serve our whānau well. 

Part of our role is to promote Māori culture and encourage Māori students to have pride in their identity. To achieve this, Sophie and I will write fortnightly articles (panui) for the school newsletter to remind and update whānau about extra-curricular activities such as Kapa Haka and Waka Ama. We will also use the newsletter to promote and encourage participation in different Māori-themed initiatives and events, while keeping parents informed of any other relevant Māori news. 

Before we sign-off, we would like to thank the teachers, staff, and whānau members who have supported us thus far. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa – Acknowledgements to you all. To our school and whānau community, kia ora! You’ll be hearing from us again shortly. 

Ngā mihi nui,

Brooke Rutter (2512@carmel.school.nz) and Sophie Mahuru (2521@carmel.school.nz)