Kia Kaha: Bringing a School Tradition to Life

School traditions can create powerful connections across generations, but their survival should never be taken for granted. Iona College’s Kia Kaha video campaign demonstrates how Alumni & Community Engagement can help preserve a tradition while giving students the confidence to carry it forward.

Marking the war cry’s 40th anniversary, the project brought together its author, Old Boy Brett Rangiira, and current students. The approach was straightforward: capture the story behind the tradition, then create a practical resource to teach it.

Start with the People Who Hold the Story

Iona’s war cry is performed at assemblies, sporting fixtures and Community gatherings. Its words and rhythm express strength, unity, courage and pride. Yet familiarity with a tradition does not necessarily mean everyone understands its origins or meaning.

An anniversary feature with Brett provided historical context and a personal connection. His involvement grounded the campaign in lived experience, recognising the Alumni contribution behind something that remains central to College life.

For schools considering a similar project, identifying the people who hold these memories is a useful starting point. Their experiences can reveal details and meaning that institutional records alone may not capture.

Turn Shared Memories into Practical Instruction

The next step was a student instruction video demonstrating the war cry’s words, pronunciation, rhythm, timing and actions. Current students helped translate its history into something future cohorts could learn and practise.

This combination gave the campaign its strength. Brett explained the tradition’s significance, while students demonstrated how to continue it. Both generations became custodians of its future.

A useful resource needs to answer practical questions: What should participants know? Where do they need guidance? How can someone unfamiliar with the tradition join in confidently?

Plan for Repeated Use

The project involved story development, filming, editing, internal coordination and publication through College channels. Its value, however, extended beyond the anniversary.

The instruction video created a resource for orientation programs, assemblies, sporting events and Old Boys gatherings. Planning these uses from the outset helped connect the creative work with everyday College activities.

The Seniors then led the war cry at the end-of-year presentation night, bringing the project back into a shared Community experience. Students put the learning into practice in a meaningful setting.

Key Takeaways

1. Choose a meaningful tradition. Focus on something that already connects people and expresses your school’s identity.
2. Involve those who know its history. Alumni voices bring personal meaning, context and recognition.
3. Give students an active role. Participation builds ownership and supports continuity between generations.
4. Create something useful. Clear instruction helps others participate confidently and consistently.
5. Plan where it will live. Identify recurring occasions to use the resource and reinforce the tradition.

Why this Matters

Preserving school culture requires deliberate care. When stories remain untold or practices are simply assumed, their meaning can gradually weaken. Iona’s approach offers an achievable example of how Advancement teams can connect people, capture knowledge and support participation. By pairing Alumni memory with student Leadership, the College gave its war cry a lasting teaching resource and renewed purpose, helping future Ionians understand both how to perform it and why it matters.