May 23, 2012
Contributed by Pakalani Bello
The visit started with a ceremony of ho'okipa on the KS Kapālama elementary campus, attended by Kamehameha leaders and 300 KS Kapālama elementary students. Gifts of song, chant and hula were offered to the Maori contingent by KS staff and students. The group then visited throughout the school, going to Hawaiian language and culture classes, as well as Hawaiian ensemble and dance classes.
A lunch reception was held at KS' Kawaiaha'o Plaza offices where organization leadership were paired up with the leadership that accompanied Te Arikinui, H.M., King Tuheitia, KCLJ, conversing and connecting the two cultures.
Kamehameha Schools leadership and staff and the kings' parents, Dame Te Ata and Whatumoana, have had numerous interactions over the years, while KS CEO Dee Jay Mailer and a number of leaders were hosted at the Queen's royal residence in Waikato, Aotearoa, in 2005.
Kamehameha Schools’ policy is to give preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law.
