Hui fono focuses on culture and creativity   31 Jul 2014

Hui fono focuses on culture and creativity

Maori and Pasifika students will tackle the issue of how to integrate culture into their work at an upcoming hui fono in Northland.

The students from the National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries at the University of Auckland head North on Friday for the Enterprise, Development and Creativity Hui Fono focusing on Maori and Pasifika worldviews and practices and how they relate to the creative industries.

The event will bring together students and mentors from architecture and planning, dance, fine arts and music to discuss how Maori and Pacific culture can be incorporated within professional disciplines and what impact it has?

Over forty first- and second-year students are expected to take part in the hui fono, staying at the Piki Te Aroha Marae in Okaihau and participating in a programme of events designed to encourage them to actively express their culture. The hui fono will also include visits to heritage sites including Ruapekapeka Pa and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

“For many of these students it will be their first visit to these important areas as well as their first stay on a marae” says organiser Lecturer Lena Henry. “It allows Maori and Pasifika students to talk openly about any issues they face and hear strategies to empower them to express themselves culturally. Our aim is to provoke a response and to inspire the students as future Maori and Pasifika planners, architects dancers and musicians,” she says.

A highlight of the three-day programme includes a panel discussion with creative practitioners with advice on ways the students can confidently apply culture into their careers.

The hui fono is part of Tuakana, a University of Auckland mentoring and tutoring programme for Maori and Pasifika students. Based on the concept of older siblings supporting younger ones, it is designed to help students transition to University life and achieve academically in their chosen field.

The University of Auckland’s National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries comprises the Elam School of Fine Arts, School of Architecture and Planning, the Centre for Art Studies, the School of Music and the Dance Studies Programme.

ENDS

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