INNOVATION

Te Ao Hou, June 1966, Page 50

INNOVATION Ian Mitchell This year Northland College, a school with a large Maori roll, has made history by becoming the first secondary school to be represented at the conference of the New Zealand Federation of Maori Students. The senior Maori students at the college decided to form a Federation branch and attend the conference, in an attempt to overcome the huge gap which exists between secondary school and University or Teachers' College, and they were not disappointed. All gained a tremendous amount of real experience from meeting more advanced students, and discussing the problems which young Maoris face at ‘Varsity and Teachers’ College. It was refreshing to accompany these young people on their trip: refreshing, because usually we hear too much theory about ‘The Problems of Maori Education’, and here was a group earnestly and enthusiastically doing something practical to overcome their difficulties. These students are hoping that other schools with large Maori rolls will follow their example in the near future. If Maori students are familiar with just a few aspects of ‘Varsity or College life before they actually begin these courses, we feel their success will be greater. Northland College Maori students are also keen to see a conference for senior Maori secondary students begin next year. They would be interested to hear other young people's ideas on this topic. Those who attended the conference were: Hone Sadler, Hemi Heremaia, Nancy Witihira, Hera Tapsell, Mervyn Tatana, Kevin Douglas, Ben Pitman, Bill Hamilton, Mose Panama, Terai Matapo and Kiriau Turepu. The latter three are Pacific Islanders who are studying at Northland College.