It gives our mana whenua, our hapū, a chance to welcome them in as well, formally. It gives them the platform to be able to say you're walking into our space and we welcome you with open arms.

The purpose of the handover is to reassure whānau and the tamaiti that they will be well looked after.

We are one big whānau. The time when the handover is finished, the time where the parents go and have a cup of tea is actually just as significant as the actual welcome itself, because our tamariki pick up what we're feeling as the parents. We want our whānau to feel comfortable.

Poipoia kia rere — nurturing the child to success.