Kia Ora !

EVENT FORMAT

We’re thrilled to welcome you! We hope you arrive feeling relaxed, excited, and ready for a delicious meal !

When you arrive, we’ll greet you personally—think of us as your local hosts for the evening. We’ll be wearing name tags, and you’ll receive your own name tag too, as well as a special scroll that you’ll use later.

At 6:30 pm sharp, we’ll gather in the function room and be welcomed with a karanga, a beautiful Māori ceremonial call.

You’ll be seated at tables, each with a friendly local nearby. To help everyone get to know each other, we’ll begin with introductions, so thank you for filling out your registration form!

Before we eat, we’ll share a karakia (prayer) for the food.

Then, please help yourself to the buffet—feel free to go up as many times as you’d like while food is available! After each course, we’ll switch up the seating so you can meet new people throughout the evening.

We’ll wrap up our gathering at 8:00 pm, closing with a waiata(Māori song) and a final karakia to bless everyone as they head home or on the next leg of their journey

And don’t forget—you’re welcome to take any leftovers with you!

We can’t wait to share this special evening with you.

Ngā mihi (greetings)

Stephen and Mandy, on behalf of the The Meet The Locals community in Whanganui