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Otago Daily Times
03-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Fear school zone will affect Māori community
The Māori community at a Dunedin secondary school says its looming enrolment zone will diminish the roots of an important cultural partnership. Queen's High School has turned its roll around so drastically, the Ministry of Education is proposing an enrolment zone to limit its growth. One of the reasons for that growth has been the success of the combined Queen's and King's High Schools' kapa haka group, He Waka Kōtuia, which has drawn Māori students from across Dunedin. Now, group leaders Komene Cassidy, Cherie Ford, Angelina Kiore and Paulette Tamati-Elliffe fear Māori students outside the enrolment zone will miss out on a cultural experience they cannot experience elsewhere. Mr Cassidy said no other school could presently provide the culturally informed experience the group offered. Queen's had a strong connection with Ōtākou Marae and a lot of Māori peninsula whānau wanted to send their children to the school. If the proposed home zone came into effect, it would take away an option Ōtākou Rūnaka whānau had had for years, Mr Cassidy said. "That then becomes an issue for mana whenua and for us, and our ability to continue to support." There was a concern that the relationship between the Ōtākou Rūnaka and the school was being overlooked and not valued as it deserved. A line had been drawn in the sand that did not fit with the existing relationships between the school and its community, Mr Cassidy said. "There's a lack of forethought about what the effects are going to be." Mrs Ford said North Dunedin Māori whānau were also concerned their children would not be able to continue their learning down a te ao Māori pathway in a mainstream setting. She had two sons who had grown up attending the bilingual classes at North East Valley School and Dunedin North Intermediate School. "[Families] are very concerned that the students have had eight years in a te ao Māori-focused setting and then where do they send them from there. "For many of them, they already have connections to He Waka Kotuia and they would like their students to come out this way." Queen's High School Māori prefect Jade Taani stands centre stage in front of He Waka Kōtuia as they pūkana. Photo: Peter McIntosh The support from the school for the He Waka Kotuia programme had enabled it to grow and be successful, she said. The school had one of the biggest Māori rolls in Dunedin, with 142 enrolled Māori students in 2024. Queen's High School Māori prefects Jade Taani, 17, and Mahinārangi Maihi, 18, both chose to go to Queen's because of He Waka Kōtuia. Mahinārangi said growing up, it had been a goal for her to go to Queen's and be a part of the group. "If it didn't work out I would be like extremely upset." The connections the students in the group made with each other were different from the ones they made in class, she said. "It's more than just a kapa haka group. "It's a safe space to be Māori." During her time at Queen's the group had grown into a big family, Mahinārangi said. "If I didn't have this I wouldn't be who I am today." Jade said the group had helped her stay in school and stay connected to her culture. She used to attend a bilingual class with Mr Cassidy every Tuesday and he helped her develop a passion for kapa haka. The group helped her understand what was happening in politics from a Māori perspective, she said. It would be a lot harder for her to connect with the Māori side of her identity without being a part of the group.
Otago Daily Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Dancer taps into family tradition
Granddaughter and grandmother duo Stasa Tucker and Lorraine Knowles stand with the Vi Stewart Challenge Cup they both won for tap dancing 63 years apart. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH More than 60 years after Lorraine Knowles won a top Dunedin tap-dancing prize, her granddaughter has followed in her footsteps. When Queen's High School student Stasa Tucker, 15, won the Vi Stewart Challenge Cup during the Dunedin Performing Arts Competitions Society tap dancing competition held at the Coronation Hall in Mosgiel last weekend she was the third member of her family to claim the award. In 1962, Mrs Knowles, Stasa's grandmother, started the family run when she won it at the age of 17. Stasa's aunt, Janine Knowles, won the cup in 1988. When Stasa won the cup last Saturday, Mrs Knowles jumped from her chair in celebration. Lorraine Knowles, then 17, tap dances in 1962. PHOTO: SUPPLIED "I was always thinking, 'I hope Stasa can win it, because it's been such a long gap'." In 1962, competing for the Vi Stewart Challenge Cup was a different experience. Mrs Knowles said she remembered tap being "so simplistic, really". "We just had a piano player, so you'd have to keep in time with him, whereas now it's a much higher standard." Dance runs in the family. Mrs Knowles' mother was a highland dancer, and her four daughters — including Stasa's mother — all ended up being dancers. Stasa said she did know her grandmother had previously won the cup — it did not really cross her mind until after she had won. "It's quite exciting ... I was quite shocked I won because this is my first year in the senior section, so I was the youngest in the group." Stasa's dance teacher, Denise Henderson, from Denise Henderson Studios, said having a granddaughter and a grandmother duo on the cup was really special. "The trophy really represents the pinnacle of the competition. The best dancer in the region is selected," she said. Ms Henderson said she had been teaching Stasa since she was 5, and she had always shown a special talent. The Dunedin Performing Arts Competitions Society tap dancing competition is New Zealand's oldest dance society and marked its 125th competition last weekend.
