The powhiri on the next morning will be followed by a dedication of the school's memorial with the addition of further soldiers' names.
The Powhiri is still performed at Maori meetings and visits of dignitaries to a marae.
He and his jubilant teammates landed at Auckland Airport yesterday morning to a rapturous crowd of supporters and a heart-warming Maori powhiri.
There was a lot of waiting around as the Prime Minister's party arrived for the powhiri.
The Treaty is our powhiri to this land.
At this point they begin to move into the meeting house where speeches and songs complete the powhiri.
He recently criticised the use of powhiri at official functions, saying "a half-naked man poking his tongue out" was not a civilised way to greet foreign dignitaries.
The opening concert started with a powhiri from the tangata whenua.
She said the school's pupils, who are busy practicing the powhiri for the event, would be playing an active part in the celebrations.
A powhiri is a particularly Maori way of doing it.