On 8 November 2016 David Niedzielski, the Polish Community Trust’s president who happened to be in Poland at the time, was invited to attend a celebration of Polish Independence Day at the Trust's sister school in Gdansk. The class had put in months of preparation and rehearsing, and didn't fail to impress with a flawless performance.

During the event David Niedzielski gave a speech on the benefits of the friendship and educational exchange between the Polish Language School in Mt Maunganui and the school in Poland.

The children received small gifts from New Zealand. For those with a sweet tooth (read: every child) muffins with little flags of both countries provided a very concrete taste of the benefits of this bilateral friendship. David Niedzielski also met with the teacher, Malgorzata Pirszel, and the children’s parents.

In the meantime, Magdalena James and the children in Mt Maunganui crafted hand-made Christmas cards with a distinctive New Zealand flair to send to the Polish children. The shipment is expected to arrive around 6 December, just in time for Mikolaja (Santa Claus Day).

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