Mairangi Notes #8 — 2026.05.29

MHJ

my mairangi

Issue

2026.05.29

Yussi's Note

Growing quietly

The three of them are quietly moving through their own Mays. Min is rewriting her speech draft on her own, reading lines aloud to herself before she settles on the wording. Hyun, with her Korean friends away in Korea for a while, is trying out new friendships — testing the waters with kids she hadn't sat with before. And Jin slips into English with me more and more these days, then races off to the playground after school to run with her friends until the light starts to go.

Main Story

Home Learning · 2026.05.24.

[NZ] NCEA Is Changing: Following the Curriculum Shake-Up

We're still new to NZ's school system, and the curriculum keeps shifting under us. A migrant parent's notes on learning it before our children do.

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Lunch Box

MON

Spam Gimbap & Apple

This week, Min asked for gimbap, so I rolled small ones with Spam and pickled radish. Gimbap is the kind of lunchbox food where, once the rice is seasoned right, almost anything you tuck inside ends up tasting good together. Salting the rice and prepping the fillings first thing in the morning can be a bit of a faff, but watching little fingers pop them straight into their mouths at lunchtime — it's the perfect midday meal.

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Campus Notes

TUE

Assignment after assignment

Assignment after assignment. I submitted one in early May, ran through a stretch of research interviews, and now another deadline is around the corner — the dissertation proposal, pulling the topic, research questions, methodology, and how I'll use the findings into one document. It's not easy, but the lecturers walked us through it carefully in class, which made it far more manageable. Last year, the wait for feedback felt long. This year, an email saying feedback is ready seems to land while I'm already in the middle of something else. I'm not sure whether I'm getting used to the rhythm, or whether the days are simply busier.

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English with Jin

This Week's Expression

“No worries!”

Probably the most-heard phrase in New Zealand. It works for thank yous, it works for sorrys — always warm, always easy. The long version would be something like "You don't have to thank me" or "You don't have to be sorry." Little exchanges like this, tossed back and forth without thinking, are what make a day feel lighter.

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Local Guide

👑

SCHOOL HOLIDAY

King's Birthday Weekend

Monday 1 June is King's Birthday, so schools and most council services are closed for the long weekend. Glenfield Mall is running a free family festival every day from Saturday 30 May to Monday 1 June, 10am–5pm — face painting, a bouncy castle, roaming characters, and a Giant Robot meet-and-greet at noon on the Sunday and Monday. Pack a raincoat.

☔️

A WET-DAY WANDER

Hibiscus & Bays Art Awards

If the King's Birthday rain keeps you indoors, walk five minutes into Mairangi Bay village and step inside the 12th Hibiscus & Bays Art Awards at Mairangi Arts Centre. The annual showcase of local painters, printmakers and sculptors runs until Saturday 13 June, entry is free, and it's a quietly lovely way to spend a wet hour with the kids.

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From the Archive

Life in Aotearoa

Night Market Tuesdays

Auckland has a night market running every night of the week. Here's why Tuesday's Albany market is our family favourite, and the full weekly schedule.

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www.mhj.nz · Mairangi Bay, Auckland, New Zealand

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