Welcome Ning Li

Kahutara School has a new teacher. Ning Li is an English speaking graduate of Xiamen University in Southern China. She will spend the 2014 school year at Kahutara introducing and teaching the basics the Mandarin language to the students.

Ning is one of twenty one graduates from the university who will be teaching at schools throughout New Zealand. The costs of bringing the group to New Zealand and their wages while are here are paid by the Chinese Government with the arrangements for their New Zealand placements being made by the Victoria University’s Confucius Institute.

The group, accompanied by the former Ambassador to China Tony Browne and his wife, spent a day in South Wairarapa and then stayed the night at Papawai Marae.
Mr Browne said that while there is a huge unfilled call for people fluent in Mandarin and this is a great way of introducing it and gaining young students’ interest

The suggestion that Kahutara School apply for one of the graduates was suggested by Michael Jamieson whose daughter Hazel is one of the school’s two student leaders. Michael, who is Director of Strategy, Systems and Science at the Ministry of Primary Industries, pointed out that almost all of the produce from the area is exported to China. This would be an excellent opportunity for both the schools’ pupils to learn first hand about where the milk, wool and timber goes and for a young person from China to see where it comes from. School Principal Clare Crawford agreed and an application for a Graduate was made.

The group travelled by train from Wellington then by bus from Featherston. The School’s Kapa Haka group welcomed them to Kahutara with Hazel Jamieson welcoming in Chinese. The Group replied by singing a song in Maori which was loudly applauded.

During the day the group watched Mark Clarkson shear some sheep at a neighbouring shearing shed. There were squeals of excitement in the bus as they drew up to the shed and sheep were spotted for the first time. Mark gave an interesting run down on sheep, wool and the process it went through before ending up as Chinese carpet or socks.

Next was to be introduced to cows and watch Damien Olsen milk part of his herd which he had kept back from the morning milk. They then visited Pirinoa School on their way to the Lake Ferry Hotel for lunch. From there it was to Papawai Marae who hosted a hangi and accommodation for the night.

Ning Li will spend half a day a week at Pirinoa School and Clare Crawford invited any other South Wairarapa School who would like Ning Li to visit to contact her. Clare is keen for Ning Li to see as much of South Wairarapa as possible while here and asked any one in South Wairarapa who was doing something of interest to invite her along.