Welcome for Korean choir

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33693, 16 November 1974, Page 18

Welcome for Korean choir

Several hundred people gathered at Christchurch Airport yesterday afternoon to welcome the World Vision Korean Children’s Choir to New Zealand.

The children, who flew from Melbourne, were gaily dressed in bright red and blue. They sang several songs and were then officially welcomed to New Zealand by the Minister of Police (Mr Connelly).

The 24 girls and six boys later flew to Auckland with their supervisors, where they begin their 16 day tour of the country with a charity concert this evening. They will return to Christchurch to perform at the. Town Hall on November 30 and December 1.

The choir was greeted by about 20 members of the Waitaha Maori Council with the customary haka, Powhiri, which ended with a war-like convergence towards the choir. However the children were nearly deprived of the traditional Maori welcome when the Health Department refused permission for the performance to take place on the tarmac as soon as the visiting children touched New Zealand soil. The department later relented but the airport officials then declined to allow the Maori group admission to the tarmac. COMPROMISE The problem was solved when the local World Vision representative (Mr G. Marshall) arranged for the . ceremony to be held outside the main public entrance to the airport. The World Vision Childcare executive director in New Zealand, Mr G. Renner, who was among those officially receiving the group said that the choir’s tour of Australia and New Zealand was to thank Childcare sponsors and to focus attention on the

needs of children. The international organisation arranged sponsorship of about 75;000 children in 28 countries.

Sponsorship by New Zealanders was initially fostered by a trip, of the choir’s. to New Zealand four years ago when 1.000 sponsors were gained. Help is now received from 2900 New Zealand families and the/organisation is one of the largest relief and child-care agencies in the country. Mr Renner said it was hoped that a further 500

sponsors would be found as a result of this trip. The children in the choir, aged between eight and 16 years, are chosen from about 16,000 children in Childcare centres in Korea. They live and study at the organisation’s Music Institute at Seoul.

About 10 of the choir are on their first trip out of Korea but the rest are seasoned international performers. Their concerts include classic, folk and sacred songs, some accompanied with dancing.