Latest news with #WaitangiDay
The Spinoff
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
The New Zealand Youth Choir global award shows there's soft power in more than just sports
The New Zealand Youth Choir was recently awarded the title of 'Choir of the World' at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in Wales. Labour arts spokesperson Rachel Boyack reflects on her experiences touring with the choir over 20 years ago. If you didn't hear the news this week, our beloved New Zealand Youth Choir won the 'Choir of the World' title at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in Wales. The Llangollen Eisteddfod is the crème de la crème, the Holy Grail if you like, of choral competitions, and winning the title is an outstanding feat for a national choir from a small country like Aotearoa. I woke up to the news last Sunday morning, and after shedding a tear, I watched the choir's winning set, swelling with pride for these outstanding young singers and how they represent us so admirably on the world stage. I've been lucky to spend time with the choir this year and to see them perform a number of times. This has included watching the choir performing live on Breakfast TV at Waitangi on Waitangi Day, and filling Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland in an extraordinary farewell concert. I've been struck by the joy the choir has when they perform, and the obvious respect they have for each other, and the choir leadership. It's hard to pull together a group of fifty 18-25 year-olds from across New Zealand and turn them into a well-oiled team, but that is exactly what music director David Squire, assistant music director Michael Stewart and vocal consultant Morag Atchison have done. The New Zealand Youth Choir was established in 1979 by Dr Guy Jansen, with professor Peter Godfrey acting as its first conductor. Both giants of the choral music scene in New Zealand. The purpose of the choir is to develop choral excellence among some of the country's most talented young singers, and contribute to other musical goals, like commissioning new work from New Zealand composers, and training the next generation of global opera singers, conductors and music teachers. The choir quickly cemented itself on the international choral scene, winning big awards from the very beginning, being invited to sing at significant New Zealand events, and performing with the likes of Dame Kiri te Kanawa at Wembley. According to my mother, I first heard the choir singing during the summer of 1989-90, while holidaying in St Arnaud as a 10-year-old. While I have many memories of tramping around Lake Rotoiti with my brother and father, and staying overnight in the hut, I don't recall the concert! It wasn't until I was age 13 that I fell in love with the choir listening to their first album, Te Roopu Rangatahi Waiata o Aotearoa (1992), which featured choral works from some of New Zealand's greatest composers: Jack Body, David Griffiths, Douglas Mews, and prolific choral composer, and alumni, David Hamilton. I would listen to that album every day, probably driving my family mad! I was entranced by the youthful but rich voices, the incredible blend of the choir, and the perfection of the intonation and timing. This was a craft I wanted to master. At that young age, I set myself a goal to be selected for the New Zealand Youth Choir and joined every choir possible throughout my teenage years to achieve it. After spending two years as a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir, and beginning music studies at the University of Auckland, I was selected to join the choir as a 19-year-old and was privileged to be a member from 2000-2004, including two international tours, one to the United States, and a later tour of Europe, where we traversed Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria and finally a week in St Petersburg and Moscow in Russia. Among many formative moments from that European tour in 2004, one sticks out. On our way to Europe we stopped off in Singapore and performed to a packed town hall of high school students – our first concert of the tour. It wasn't the European Art Song, or Bach's motets, or Antonio Lotti's famous baroque masterpiece 'Crucifixus' that led to the audience of high school students giving us a standing ovation. It was a performance of 'I te timatanga', gifted to the Choir by the Wehi Whanau and that tells the story of the separation of Ranginui from Papatūānuku, that led to a hall full of screaming schoolgirls on their feet. The kind of response usually reserved for a 1990s boyband! As a choir girl it wasn't something I had ever experienced before. We described ourselves as 'the All Blacks of the singing world.' Every time the choir travelled overseas it would return with a trophy haul that required the building of a new cabinet, and accolades from top international choral judges. Pulling on the black and silver uniform and representing our country overseas was a thrill, and one of the privileges of my life. While the choir receives funding from Creative New Zealand, they have to rely on fundraising and personal contributions from choir members to travel internationally. That has always felt inequitable given the work the choir does to promote New Zealand internationally, especially when compared to some award-winning sporting codes. It also means some singers may miss out on being involved in the choir due to financial constraints. The current government has continued the work of the previous Labour government and released a draft Arts Strategy: Amplify. One of the 2030 targets listed in the strategy is for New Zealand to rank among the top 25 nations in the world for culture and heritage soft power, resulting in high-value cultural tourism and exports. It is an ambitious target, and I support it. The New Zealand Youth Choir is an excellent example of that soft power in action. Everyone at Llangollen in Wales was talking about the New Zealand Youth Choir, with reports on the choir broadcast all over the media in the region, and globally. Social media lit up with videos of the choir's performances, and the incredible haka they performed for their music director David Squire after their win was announced. The New Zealand Youth Choir, and their sister choirs, the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir and Voices New Zealand rely on government funding from Creative NZ. Currently, they receive multi-year funding from the Totara Programme, which CNZ is ending. While I am confident that the choir's success on the world stage will ensure their funding continues, having the certainty of multi-year funding means the choirs can operate with confidence, plan international tours and commission new works by New Zealand composers. And this alumni, and the rest of New Zealand, can continue to be so very, very proud of our world-class New Zealand Youth Choir.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Mum calls for change to school holidays as costs burden Kiwi families
'While there are private school holiday programmes available, they are often unaffordable, costing $50 to $70 per day. We're aware of subsidy programmes, but unfortunately, we don't meet the eligibility criteria. This leaves us – and many others – in a difficult position. 'I understand that the current system may have worked better in the past when single-income households were more common. But in today's economy, dual-income families are often a necessity, and the school calendar hasn't adapted to reflect this reality.' The Ministry of Social Development's OSCAR subsidy is available for school holiday programmes up to 50 hours a week. The amount parents can get depends on the number of children they have and how much they earn. Someone with two children can get $326 per child, per week in the holidays if they earn less than $1264 a week before tax. That drops to $101.50 a week if their income is between $2485 and $2669. Above that, there is no subsidy available. Tendler said she was relatively new to the country and was surprised when she discovered the situation. Even working from home was not a good solution, she said. 'To work from home when you have a 5-year-old son with you, it's not a productive day.' She said the model was outdated. 'It's very oriented in terms of one parent working, one parent is staying at home. Maybe it was like that in the past in New Zealand, but I feel the economy now and the cost of living now is not really representing that anymore, and there are a lot of families that both of the parents are working now and you need to find a solution around it.' She said it seemed that teachers did not want to lose the days off. 'You could still have a balance and have holidays, but not two weeks. Reduce it to one week and keep summer as it – it will help some parents.' She said even with two parents splitting leave, they did not have enough days to cover the holiday. Other options could be to give parents more paid leave, or provide cheaper, government-run holiday programmes, she said. Days in school agreed in 2016 Sean Teddy, hautū (leader) of operations and integration at the Ministry of Education, said the school holidays were set – in agreement with sector groups – in 2016. Schools can choose a start date between Auckland Anniversary Day and the day after Waitangi Day, and can end no later than December 20 in any year. Secondary and composite schools need to be open for 380 half-days a year. Primary, intermediate and special schools need to open between 380 and 390 half-days, depending on the timing of Easter. 'In most years, the first school holidays for primary schools are timed to include the Easter break. To create terms of a reasonably uniform length in years when Easter falls particularly early, all or some of the Easter break will fall during the first term. In these years, fewer half-days can be completed before the latest end date.' The ministry told Tendler it was important to strike a balance between ensuring students were in school long enough to receive the education they needed, and having holidays long enough to give them a chance to rest and recuperate. Financial mentor David Verry at North Harbour Budgeting Services said Tendler was not alone in her concerns. He said it was something families struggled with every year. The summer holidays could be even tougher on family budgets. Photo / 123rf 'One of the big issues is they come up in one big lump sum that you have to pay. 'If it's $50 a day, that's $250 a week and that's after-tax dollars people have to come up with. Over a couple of weeks, if you have two children, that's $1000. That's a huge chunk of cash to have to front with.' The summer holidays could be even tougher on family budgets, he said, because people would also have to cover the cost of Christmas and back-to-school. It was even harder on single parents, he said. Verry said he would advise people to set money aside for holiday programmes through the year, if they could, so they had the funds available when they needed them. 'So you can dip into that without having to go, 'Oh gosh, we're going to have to cut our food budget because we just haven't got enough.'' While people who could work from home might have flexibility to reduce the hours their children went to holiday programmes, or not use them at all, manual workers did not have that luxury. 'It's a bit harder when you have a manual job or you're working in a supermarket because you've got to be there.'
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Should school holidays be reduced to one week?
By Susan Edmunds of RNZ New Zealand mother-of-two Karina Tendler says when it comes to school holidays, something needs to change. She recently approached the Ministry of Education asking it to consider altering the term schedule because of the financial burden she says it imposes on families. Her son recently started school, and she has a three-year-old daughter who will go to school in a couple of years. "The two-week breaks each term, combined with the five to six weeks over summer, create a significant strain on our ability to balance work and family life. "While there are private school holiday programmes available, they are often unaffordable, costing $50 to $70 per day. "We're aware of subsidy programmes, but unfortunately, we don't meet the eligibility criteria. This leaves us - and many others - in a difficult position. "I understand that the current system may have worked better in the past when single-income households were more common. "But in today's economy, dual-income families are often a necessity, and the school calendar hasn't adapted to reflect this reality." The Ministry of Social Development's OSCAR subsidy is available for school holiday programmes up to 50 hours a week. The amount parents can get depends on the number of children they have and how much they earn. Someone with two children can get $326 per child, per week in the holidays if they earn less than $1264 a week before tax. That drops to $101.50 a week if their income is between $2485 and $2669. Above that, there was no subsidy available. Tendler, who lives in Tauranga, said she was relatively new to the country and was surprised when she discovered the situation. Even working from home was not a good solution, she said. "To work from home when you have a five-year-old son with you, it's not a productive day." She said the model was outdated. "It's very oriented in terms of one parent working, one parent is staying at home. "Maybe it was like that in the past in New Zealand, but I feel the economy now and the cost of living now is not really representing that anymore, and there are a lot of families that both of the parents are working now and you need to find a solution around it." She said it seemed that teachers did not want to lose the days off. "You could still have a balance and have holidays, but not two weeks. Reduce it to one week and keep summer as it - it will help some parents." She said even with two parents splitting leave, they did not have enough days to cover the holiday. Other options could be to give parents more paid leave, or provide cheaper, government-run holiday programmes, she said. Days in school agreed in 2016 Sean Teddy, hautū (leader) of operations and integration at the Ministry of Education, said the school holidays were set - in agreement with sector groups - in 2016. Schools can choose a start date between Auckland Anniversary Day and the day after Waitangi Day, and can end no later than 20 December in any year. Secondary and composite schools need to be open for 380 half-days a year. Primary, intermediate and special schools need to open between 380 and 390 half-days, depending on the timing of Easter. "In most years, the first school holidays for primary schools are timed to include the Easter break. To create terms of a reasonably uniform length in years when Easter falls particularly early, all or some of the Easter break will fall during the first term. In these years, fewer half-days can be completed before the latest end date." The ministry told Tendler it was important to strike a balance between ensuring students were in school long enough to receive the education they needed, and having holidays long enough to give them a chance to rest and recuperate. Financial mentor David Verry at North Harbour Budgeting Services said Tendler was not alone in her concerns. He said it was something families struggled with every year. "One of the big issues is they come up in one big lump sum that you have to pay. "If it's $50 a day, that's $250 a week and that's after-tax dollars people have to come up with. Over a couple of weeks, if you have two children, that's $1000. That's a huge chunk of cash to have to front with." The summer holidays could be even tougher on family budgets, he said, because people would also have to cover the cost of Christmas and back-to-school. It was even harder on single parents, he said. Verry said he would advise people to set money aside for holiday programmes through the year, if they could, so they had the funds available when they needed them. "So you can dip into that without having to go, 'Oh gosh, we're going to have to cut our food budget because we just haven't got enough.'" While people who could work from home might have flexibility to reduce the hours their children went to holiday programmes, or not use them at all, manual workers did not have that luxury. "It's a bit harder when you have a manual job or you're working in a supermarket because you've got to be there."
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Mum calls for change to school holidays
By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Tauranga mother-of-two Karina Tendler says when it comes to school holidays, something needs to change. She recently approached the Ministry of Education asking it to consider altering the term schedule because of the financial burden she says it imposes on families. Her son recently started school, and she has a three-year-old daughter who will go to school in a couple of years' time. "The two-week breaks each term, combined with the five to six weeks over summer, create a significant strain on our ability to balance work and family life. "While there are private school holiday programmes available, they are often unaffordable, costing $50 to $70 per day. We're aware of subsidy programmes, but unfortunately, we don't meet the eligibility criteria. This leaves us - and many others - in a difficult position. "I understand that the current system may have worked better in the past when single-income households were more common. But in today's economy, dual-income families are often a necessity, and the school calendar hasn't adapted to reflect this reality." The Ministry of Social Development's OSCAR subsidy is available for school holiday programmes up to 50 hours a week. The amount parents can get depends on the number of children they have and how much they earn. Someone with two children can get $326 per child, per week in the holidays if they earn less than $1264 a week before tax. That drops to $101.50 a week if their income is between $2485 and $2669. Above that, there was no subsidy available. Tendler said she was relatively new to the country and was surprised when she discovered the situation. Even working from home was not a good solution, she said. "To work from home when you have a five-year-old son with you, it's not a productive day." She said the model was outdated. "It's very oriented in terms of one parent working, one parent is staying at home. Maybe it was like that in the past in New Zealand, but I feel the economy now and the cost of living now is not really representing that anymore, and there are a lot of families that both of the parents are working now and you need to find a solution around it." She said it seemed that teachers did not want to lose the days off. "You could still have a balance and have holidays, but not two weeks. Reduce it to one week and keep summer as it - it will help some parents." She said even with two parents splitting leave, they did not have enough days to cover the holiday. Other options could be to give parents more paid leave, or provide cheaper, government-run holiday programmes, she said. Days in school agreed in 2016 Sean Teddy, hautū (leader) of operations and integration at the Ministry of Education, said the school holidays were set - in agreement with sector groups - in 2016. Schools can choose a start date between Auckland Anniversary Day and the day after Waitangi Day, and can end no later than December 20 in any year. Secondary and composite schools need to be open for 380 half-days a year. Primary, intermediate and special schools need to open between 380 and 390 half-days, depending on the timing of Easter. "In most years, the first school holidays for primary schools are timed to include the Easter break. To create terms of a reasonably uniform length in years when Easter falls particularly early, all or some of the Easter break will fall during the first term. In these years, fewer half-days can be completed before the latest end date." The ministry told Tendler it was important to strike a balance between ensuring students were in school long enough to receive the education they needed, and having holidays long enough to give them a chance to rest and recuperate. Financial mentor David Verry at North Harbour Budgeting Services said Tendler was not alone in her concerns. He said it was something families struggled with every year. "One of the big issues is they come up in one big lump sum that you have to pay. "If it's $50 a day, that's $250 a week and that's after-tax dollars people have to come up with. Over a couple of weeks, if you have two children, that's $1000. That's a huge chunk of cash to have to front with." The summer holidays could be even tougher on family budgets, he said, because people would also have to cover the cost of Christmas and back-to-school. It was even harder on single parents, he said. Verry said he would advise people to set money aside for holiday programmes through the year, if they could, so they had the funds available when they needed them. "So you can dip into that without having to go, 'Oh gosh, we're going to have to cut our food budget because we just haven't got enough.'" While people who could work from home might have flexibility to reduce the hours their children went to holiday programmes, or not use them at all, manual workers did not have that luxury. "It's a bit harder when you have a manual job or you're working in a supermarket because you've got to be there."
Scoop
7 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
'It Is An Interesting Time' - Tania Simpson Takes Over As Chair Of Waitangi Trust
Tania Te Rangingangana Simpson, new chair of the Waitangi National Trust Board. The new chairperson of the Waitangi National Trust Board says she intends to hit the ground running in what will ultimately be a short term. Tania Te Rangingangana Simpson ONZM becomes the first wāhine to hold the role of chair since the trust's establishment in 1932, replacing Pita Tipene who stepped down last month after serving for the maximum length of nine years. Simpson has served as a trustee of the Waitangi National Trust since 2017 and as deputy chair since 2021, representing the descendants of the chief Pomare. Like Tipene, she too is approaching the nine-year term limit, but she said there is still time for her to help strengthen the governance and assist the continued development of Waitangi. "So that just means I need to not waste any time but to use the time wisely. It also means thinking about succession and thinking about what will happen at the end of that term and supporting the board through its processes to prepare for that. "So the time may be short but I think we can achieve a lot during that time." The Waitangi National Trust is the guardian of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and facilitates the annual Waitangi Day celebrations. Simpson (Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Tahu, Tainui) currently serves on the boards of Auckland International Airport, Meridian Energy and Waste Management New Zealand. Her previous roles include board positions with the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, AgResearch and Tainui Group Holdings. Simpson said she is looking forward to taking on what may come in the new role, saying there is important work to do. "[I'm] pleased that we have a woman chair so that it demonstrates to other women and to younger women that these positions are open to them to pursue." Simpson said she prefers a collaborative style of leadership, something she plans to extend to the government despite heightened tensions during the last two Waitangi commemorations. "While there may be heightened discussions around aspects of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how that is given effect to in our current world in particular in government processes, Waitangi itself continues to be the place for that kind of dialogue to occur and the place for all New Zealanders and in particular the parties to the treaty to come together and talk." The trust has enjoyed a good working relationship with government over the years, with the government continuing to support Waitangi through projects and development funding, she said. The trust is much more focused on maintaining Waitangi as a special, tapu place where the treaty was signed and were the spirit of partnership was agreed, she said. "We look after that place and space and the wairua of that place in order that the parties can come together and experience it and reflect and talk about what it means to us today." Simpson said ultimately the dialogue between Māori and government is a good thing and Waitangi is an appropriate place for it to happen. "It is an interesting time, an interesting juncture in the development of our nationhood in that we are having conversations nationally around the place of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, around what the treaty promised, about what it means and how we will reflect that within our national systems and structures." Orginisations like the Waitangi National Trust and the Waitangi Tribunal which are close to the treaty and its history have a role to play in working through those discussions and getting to a good conclusion, she said. Lisa Tumahai, the former chair of Ngāi Tahu and representative on the board of the people, Pākeha and Māori, living in the South Island, will step into the roll of deputy chair. The chief executive of Waitangi Ltd Ben Dalton said Simpson's appointment is not only a landmark for the trust but a testament to her unwavering dedication to the kaupapa of the treaty. "Her leadership will help deepen the understanding and relevance of Waitangi for generations to come," he said.
