One thing I sincerely appreciate about NZ is the presence of Māori language and traditions in the culture. There are such beautiful words here…

Whanau (prounced “Faw-no” or “Faw-Nu”): It means extended family as the Māori often have very large extended families. It also means anyone who you have accepted into your family. At 7’s school, they are divided into Whanau. They do everything with their whanau (classes, competitions, etc) to help promote that sense of family in the school environment.

Mana (pronounced “Mah-nah” not man-uh): Mana is a sense of well-earned respect and love from one’s community. If someone has “lots of mana”, they have worked hard and served their community for several decades. And, as a consequence, they are greatly loved and respected.