Constructing planter boxes and filling them with herb and vegetable seedlings was a great way for UCOL Wairarapa students and staff to start Matariki celebrations.
As the garden grows, students will be able to help themselves to what they need.
This was a positive way to celebrate the beginning of the Māori New Year, and after the planting was done students enjoyed time with each other over soup.
Matariki celebrations on campus included a visit from Āwhina Twomey who spoke on the importance of Matariki in Aotearoa and how to identify significant Māori star constellations in the night sky - an invaluable learning experience for students and staff alike. Āwhina works at the Whanganui Regional Museum as Kaitiaki Taonga Māori.
UCOL Wairarapa Campus Manager Margot Ferrick said staff are involved in celebrating Matariki in different ways and it was the topic of conversation over lunch with all staff on campus.
"Each year we learn more and getting together to talk about how we celebrate is stimulating."
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