Members of Apanui School's decorative art group … …and the carving group

Whakatane Primary Schools' Combined Maori Music Festival In December 1965, ten primary schools in the Whakatane district held a combined music festival with two evening performances. These performances comprised songs by the combined choirs, ranging from Luigi Denza's Funiculi Funicula to Verdi's Chorus of the Hebrew Captives, English and American folk dances, instrumental items and Maori songs and posture dances. Needless to say, the festival, the first of its kind to be held in the district, was a great success. This, however, prompted some members of the organising committee to consider an ‘All Maori Music Festival’. A meeting of interested school teachers was convened and the decision to hold the Maori Music Festival was made. It was held in August of this year. The schools which took part in the festival

Tokoroa Maori Culture Festival On 9 and 10 August in the Tokoroa New Memorial Hall, a Maori Culture Festival was on display for both Primary School children and the general public. This was all started when extension work on Maori culture and Arts was sought for a very new and keen group of children who had learned Taniko Weaving and Piu Piu making at the Tokoroa Intermediate School. They outfitted themselves in traditional Maori E. P. Christensen photographs Jane Barrett of Tokoroa Intermediate school makes a piupiu Malvina Marsh, of Tokoroa Intermediate School demonstrates taniko weaving