July 29, 2014
Kapa haka inspires minister
Education Minister Hekia Parata is calling kapa haka the rocket fuel that drives Maori education.
The minister is heading to Gisborne on Friday for the finals of the national secondary schools kapa haka championships.
She says there are great lessons to be learned.
"The absolute committment, the energy, the focus on perfecting words and movement, the discipline with which kapa haka is approached, the creativity and innovation and imagination, all of these ingredients come together in unique forms as each kapa haka performs. Now if we could bottle all of that and apply it to any of our lives, it's just like rocket fuel," she says.
Ms Parata says Maori performing arts are a great fit for the education sector because they are an example of the mantra that teaching needs to recognise the student’s language, culture and identity.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH HEKIA PARATA CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MjA1Njc=
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