During Week 7, some of our short-term International students took part in a Māori culture enrichment programme. Over three days, students learnt about bone carving, Māori culture and protocol, played Ki o Rahi, were immersed in a haka, and visited O Wairoa Marae in Howick.
The students all designed and made their own bone-carving necklaces after learning about the process of carving and the cultural significance behind it. As you can see in the photos, they did a great job! It was fantastic to see some students proudly wearing their necklaces upon their return.
Students also were lucky to have our very own Matua Michael take them through a series of presentations on different Māori customs before trying their hand at a game of Ki o Rahi on the field and finishing up with learning the words and actions to Ka Mate. The final event was a visit to O Wairoa Marae in Howick, which gave them a chance to see some of the cultural learnings of previous days in action.
The feedback from the group has been overwhelmingly positive. Here are some of their highlights:
“I learned during the marae visit that Māori are very religious and that trees, for example, are very sacred to them. That’s why they had their own garden on the site.”
“I learned about how the creation of the world is perceived by the Māori culture, and also their gods and goddesses. I loved the interactive parts such as learning how to perform the haka and how to play Ki o Rahi. I’m definitely going to take these experiences back with me when I return to my native country, and I will tell my friends and family about them.”
“I learned that bone carving is very holy for the Māori culture.”
We look forward to being able to provide more international students with a similar experience going forward and it’s so great to see their respect and appreciation of Māori culture.
Dave Dunlop – Director of International Students
