Whanganui High School Kapa Haka group lights up show

Whanganui High School's kapa haka group performed at the Confucius Institute Regional Conference at Victoria University last Thursday.

Twenty-four students and six adults from the school travelled to Wellington last week to represent the relationship the school has held with the institute since the Chinese classroom was developed in 2013.

Professors, delegates, chancellors, principles and teachers from around the world met at the Hunter Building for the three-day annual conference which was formally opened by the Whanganui High School kapa haka group.

Confucius Institute deputy director-general Dr Jing Wei was unable to visit Whanganui, so Whanganui High School was invited to the conference to give a sense of the school's culture and achievements.

Principal Martin McAllen said it was a really positive experience for the students and everyone involved with the conference.

"One of the professors said to me, it was really good having the students there as it continues to remind them that's who they're all working for," he said.

"Having the students right there in front of them all was just so great and refreshing."

The kapa haka group had the opportunity to sit and listen and interact with high officials within the institute and then to close the ceremony.

The school's international dean and Chinese teacher Beck Ding said the conference allowed everyone to discuss the relationship that had been created so far through the institute and what they could do to strengthen it.

"We purely focus on culture promotion and language promotion, it is the principle of the Confucius classroom at Whanganui High School, it had nothing to do with politics," Ding said.

Whanganui High School is the only school in the lower North Island stretching from Rotorua to Wellington that has a Confucius Classroom.

The Confucius Institute supports Chinese classrooms financially and with resource materials to be able to teach in-depth Chinese culture and language.

"As a teacher, I can use a lot of extra things and do a lot more stuff which is beneficial," Ding said.

By Lucy Drake
Whanganui Chronicle 10/7/19