CULTURE: Students from Tongan schools Maamaloa Side School and Vaini Middle School performed at Gate Pa School yesterday. PHOTO/ANDREW WARNER
CULTURE: Students from Tongan schools Maamaloa Side School and Vaini Middle School performed at Gate Pa School yesterday. PHOTO/ANDREW WARNER
Visiting Tauranga schools will give a group of Tongan children a deeper appreciation for their own culture, their principal says.
A group of 24 children aged between 12 and 14 from Maamaloa Side School and Vaini Middle School in Tonga are in the country for two weeks and are being hosted by Bethlehem College.
The college has been visiting Tonga for 11 years and this is the second year the Tongan schools have been able to reciprocate a visit.
At Gate Pa School yesterday, the Tongan students put on a cultural performance of singing, dancing and instrumentals for about an hour.
The day before, the group was at Merivale School and, on Tuesday, they will be performing for Te Wharekura O Mauao.
Maamaloa Side School principal Christopher Hoogenhout, the leader of the group, said the performance comprised religious singing in Tongan style, traditional dance and folk dances.
Tongan lessons were also prepared for the school in art and music.
"What do they get out of it? It builds a bit of character by getting them away from familiar settings. They see how people here eat different foods and how the family situation here is different than in Tonga.
"Hopefully, they come back with a better appreciation of their lives in Tonga. They see things in New Zealand are very nice, but they can come back to a place where you don't have all those things and appreciate what they have."
Mr Hoogenhout said the children were staying with families affiliated to Bethlehem College to gain an authentic New Zealand experience.
The group will also be performing at the Farmers Market tomorrow at Tauranga Primary School from 10am.
When not visiting schools, Mr Hoogenhout said the children would be doing things such as shopping, going to the movies, climbing mountains and visiting the Hamilton Zoo.
Phil Russell, director of service and leadership training and Christian education at Bethlehem College, said in 11 years of travelling to Tonga, the college had built a strong relationship with Maamaloa Side School.
Fourteen students and three teachers visited Tonga in July.
Student's views: What did you think of the Tongan children's performance?
''My favourite part was then the boy was using his mouth to play the ukulele.'' Shannon Nicholas, 10.
''I enjoyed all the performances and the ukulele. I like watching the girls dancing.'' Amelia McLaren, 10.
''I liked the part where they were doing the ukulele of Amazing Grace''. Crystal Kaitai, 10.
