Schoolgirl’s new life documented

Press, 22 July 1989, Page 18

Schoolgirl’s new life documented

Thirteen-year-old Rangimaria has left her home and family in the tiny Northland settlement of Te Hapua to face big-city life in Auckland.

The changes that Rangimaria now faces are the subject of “The Way We Are” (Sunday at 5 p.m. on

Two) and the religious documentary programme follows her new life at Queen Victoria College in Parnell, the oldest boarding school in New Zealand. She has left her carefree childhood behind her in the township which boasts of white beaches, blue skies, peace and tranquility. Rangimaria’s parents want her to have an education that will develop her individuality and give her the strength to stand anywhere. They chose to send her to Queen Victoria College because it is a bi-cultural school balancing Maori and pakeha heritages and has a reputation for sporting and cultural activities while at the same time encouraging personal development in its pupils. Already Rangimaria has developed dreams for her future which will take her even further from her roots. She wants to go as an exchange student to America, and then to university, and although she says she does not like the pace of Auckland life, she recognises that the city is probably her future. Rangimaria returns home during the school holidays to Te Hapua, “The Way We Are,” Sunday.