The Wright whanau in Hāwera in Taranaki are using lockdown to learn waiata and brush up on their whakapapa.
The bubble of 12, also meets distant whanau online for singing practice.
But more importantly, it’s about getting the tamariki outside to do some mahi, says father Rāwiri Wright.
“The kid have been outside, they’ve been pulling weeds. Trimming trees carrying weeds from one side of the property to the other, he says.
"They’ve painted the shed, washed the house. They’ve done all sorts of things”
Wright says it’s about “teaching them that mahi first”.
“What we’ve tried to do there is make sure we give the kids something meaningful every day but just enough to keep them engaged and occupied.”
Being in lockdown has allowed him to teach his tamariki more about their whakapapa and distant whanaunga.
“We’ve had wānanga talking about whakapapa, talking about our aunties and uncles.”
Overall, Wright says the experience has been great for his tamariki.