Building celebrated

Fairfield School pupils perform waiata during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially reopen the school’s main block after a $3.2 million refurbishment. Principal Greg Lees said the refurbished block now had a new name: Matamata: The Taniwha of Saddle Hill.

"Matamata is a taniwha, and in our mana whenua narrative from Ōtākou, Matamata was a giant creature that was similar to a serpent or lizard in shape.

"This taniwha carved out the Otago Harbour and the rivers on the Taieri Plains." The new name had been given in consultation with tangata whenua, school whanau and community leaders. The new block was given a karakia by Ōtākou representatives Komene and Te Atarau Cassidy. The youngest and oldest pupils in the school, new entrants Isla Findlater and Tilly Price (both 5) and year 8 pupil Georgia Cooke (12) jointly cut the ribbon as pupils, teachers and parents looked on.