Multi-lingual cards a winner (+video)

BUSINESS STARS: Western Heights High School students (from left) Lauren Chand, 17, Isaiah Massey, 17, Shuichi Iwata, 17, and Nicole Young, 17. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER

Four Rotorua students have showcased their keen business skills, winning the top prize at the regional Young Enterprise Scheme awards.

Western Heights High School Year 12 students Lauren Chand, 17, Isaiah Massey, 17, Shuichi Iwata, 17, and Nicole Young impressed judges with their product, Chinese Educards - a set of illustrated flashcards that translate Maori and English words into Chinese.

The cards can be used to play a range of original games the group invented - all based on traditional games like Memory.

Lauren said the flashcards incorporated all the aspects involved in learning a language, including vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar.

"The flashcards involve everything that is important to learning a language but does so in a fun way that will keep people engaged and interested."

She said the product was marketed at primary and intermediate-aged pupils to encourage more children to pick up the language before they reach high school.

"In January when we started the project we thought a big issue was the growing Chinese population and New Zealand's lack of preparedness. We decided to target younger students for our product to have a better chance of instilling a love of the language."

Nicole said it felt like they had "bit off more than we could chew" when they started the project.

"We were the only people producing and marketing an educational tool and after countless setbacks and mountains of research the product required, there were times when we thought we weren't going to finish.

"There were lots of ups and downs throughout the process, we had another team member drop out halfway through the project which threw everything up in the air for a while," Isaiah added.

"But in the end the whole experience was a huge learning curve and we have become better at running our business as opposed to having a chilled-out ride and not facing any obstacles."

The team will go on to compete at the Young Enterprise Scheme national competition next month. To learn more about Chinese Educards and how to buy them, go to www.learnguage.weebly.com.