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 Tuākana, a University of Auckland mentoring and tutoring programme for Māori 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