Recently Kaipara College held our inaugural Ag Day event, and what a wonderful day it was. Out in the quad, delicious scents wafted from food trucks and school-run food stalls; down on the fields, young and old tried their hand at our strong man competition, coconut shy, gumboot throw and other fun activities; and in the hall visitors browsed the craft stalls. There was also a stunning open-air performance from our M.ori leadership group, T. Rangatira. Of course Ag Day would not be Ag Day without animals . lambs, a sheep, Nigerian dwarf goats, calves, and chickens captivated the crowds.
What made this day extra special though, was that it was a student-led initiative. James Shaw (Year 13) made running a successful Ag Day one of his many lofty goals for 2023. Year 13 already comes with enough responsibilities and challenges without adding organising a major event to the list, but he handled the pressure admirably. Although Ag Day was a fundraiser for the school, Jamesf main aim was to run an event to bring our great community back into Kaipara College. James truly embodies our Te WAKA o Kaipara values.
Whanaungatanga - Our People
In organising Ag Day James showed that understood the importance of strong relationships. He started a committee of students to help organise Ag Day, he liaised with our Senior Leadership Team, our Head of Faculties, our staff and our students. Through this he developed genuine connections with students, wh.nau, staff, and our wider community. The bonds of whanaungatanga James created has allowed the sense of belonging at Kaipara College to continue to flourish
Whakatauki: Whiria te tangata - Weave people together
Aroha - Our Way
James approached all interactions in organising Ag Day with kindness, caring and empathy. He demonstrated high expectations of himself and of others, ensuring each interaction was mana enhancing, always being positive and showing a real “can do” attitude. James took the responsibility for the success of Ag Day very seriously, but always with an underlying pragmatism and sense of humour. He showed total respect to staff, students, supporting businesses, and members of the community and public while carrying out his Ag Day organising role, always acting with integrity and humility.
Whakatauki: Aro ki te ha o te tangata - Pay heed to the breath that is within us all.
Kaitiakitanga - Our Place
James took great care of our learning environment both in planning the Ag Day and the running of the event. He was mindful of the impact running an Ag Day would have on our grounds and our people, and he worked hard to ensure minimal negative impact and maximum positive impact! He ensured, as much as possible, that materials used were recyclable and there was minimum waste. Looking after our school, looking after the environment, looking after each other is second nature to James
Whakatauki: Manaaki matauranga, manaaki taiao, manaaki tangata - Care for knowledge, the environment, and people.
Angitutanga - Our Success
James aspires to reach personal excellence in all he does, Ag Day included. He has shown he values creative and innovative ideas of others, and works hard to reach the best solution possible when problems arise. He has set this challenging goal of an event that brings the community together and well and truly attained that goal. Not only that, he has motivated others, staff, students and members of the community to strive toward success. He expected us and himself to achieve, and we have enjoyed celebrating our collective accomplishment: a wonderful Ag Day community event.
Whakatauki:
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari ke he toa takitini - My success is not mine alone, but that of the collective.
Thank you to our many local supporters and sponsors in the community, our students and staff for getting involved, our great community for coming along and enjoying this event and of course a huge thank you to James for being a fabulous role model of our Te WAKA o Kaipara values.