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Vol 26 No 1 April 2003

Japanese Royal visitto New Zealand

Michiko visited New Zealand in 1973.The Governor-General hosted an official dinner for Their

Imperial Highnesses on Friday evening. In his speech, theCrown Prince said he and his wife were fond of tramping andregretted that, due to time constraints, they were not able towalk Milford Track. “We look forward to perhaps returningsomeday and having the opportunity to do the walk with ourdaughter.”

They flew to Christchurch on Saturday, December 14,where they visited the International Antarctic Centre andattended a civic reception hosted by Mayor Garry Moore.

The Imperial couple then flew to Te Anau. The followingday, they were taken to Monkey Creek to see keas, took acruise on Milford Sound and visited the scenic Eglinton Valley,before flying to Auckland.

On the final day of their official visit, the Crown Prince andPrincess visited the Americas Cup Village and the StarshipChildrens’ Hospital, before attending a civic luncheon hostedby Mayor John Banks. They then flew on to Australia forofficial visits to Sydney and Canberra.

The Crown Prince and Princess in the Eglinton Valley.

Their Imperial Highnesses in front of the snowmobile at the InternationalAntarctic Centre, Christchurch.

In response to a longstanding invitation from the NewZealand Government, the Crown Prince Naruhito and CrownPrincess Masako of Japan visited New Zealand from December12-16, 2002. This was their first visit to New Zealand andcoincided with the 50th anniversary of post war diplomaticrelations between Japan and New Zealand. Their one-year olddaughter, Princess Aiko, remained in Japan.

The Governor-General, Dame Silvia Cartwright, welcomedthe Crown Prince and Princess to New Zealand at a ceremonyat Government House. During their time in Wellington, theImperial couple attended a wreath-laying ceremony at theNational War Memorial and a civic reception hosted by MayorKerry Prendergast. They also visited Weta Studios and Te Papa,and met members of the Japanese community and former JETparticipants.

They stayed at Government House and Crown PrinceNaruhito planted a kowhai tree in the grounds to mark theoccasion. It is near another kowhai planted by His Majesty theEmperor Akihito, when he and Her Majesty the Empress

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Wellington hosts internationalscience conference

The MacDiarmid Institute,based at Victoria University ofWellington, hosted aninternational conference onadvanced materials and nano-technology from February10-14. The conference, whichtook place at the university andTe Papa, was opened by theGovernor General, Dame SilviaCartwright.

About 270 scientists fromaround the world attended andmore than 100 papers werepresented at the main con-ference, plenary sessions andspecialist symposia. Theycovered research on nano-structured carbon, super-conducting materials, complexfluids and so on.

Mr Hideki Shirakawa, andfellow scientists Mr AlanMacDiarmid (New Zealand) andMr Alan Heeger (USA), jointly won the2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for theirwork on the capability of plastics toconduct electricity. All three presentedlectures on the first day of theconference, and the subject of MrShirokawa’s address was the “Synthesis of

(From left to right) Nobel Laureates Mr Alan Heeger (USA), Mr Hideki Shirakawa (Japan) and Mr AlanMacDiarmid (New Zealand) during the Wellington conference.

Professors MacDiarmid, Heeger and Shirakawa talk to pupils of Kelburn Normal Schoolafter unveiling a plaque honouring NZ-born Nobel Laureate Maurice Wilkin.

Polyacetylene in Liquid Crystals”.There was also a public meeting on

the Tuesday evening at Te Papa, with thetheme “Where is Science Taking Us?” MrShirakawa was one of the panelmembers. An edited version of themeeting was broadcast on Insight the

following Sunday, February 16. Copiesare available from Radio New Zealand’sReplay Radio (Tel. 0800 737-529 – Tape -$25, CD - $30).

During the conference, Hon PeteHodgson, Minister of Research, Scienceand Technology hosted a reception at

Parliament to honour the threeNobel Laureates.

Mr Shirakawa, Mr Mac-Diarmid and Mr Heegeralso unveiled a plaque outsidethe Murphy Building at VictoriaUniversity at a ceremonyhonouring New Zealand-bornNobel Laureate, MauriceWilkins.

The conference incorpor-ated the New Zealand-KoreaBilateral Symposium onAdvanced Materials and wassupported by the New ZealandMinistry of Research, Scienceand Technology, the RoyalSociety of New Zealand, theKorea Science and EngineeringFoundation and the KoreanAcademy of Science andTechnology. The MacDiarmidInstitute plans to organiseanother conference in 2005.

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Japanese Antarctic Expedition

The Japanese Embassy in NewZealand recently showed two Japanesefilms in Samoa. It was a first for theEmbassy. The aim was to introduceSamoan people to current Japanesesociety and to accelerate goodrelationships between the two countriesthrough Japanese movies.

The film festival was held over twonights, February 17 and 18. On the firstnight SHUKUJI (Congratulatory Speech)was shown, and on the second NODO-JIMAN, a comedy about a Karaokesinging contest.

The festival venue was the NationalUniversity of Samoa. Although theuniversity is about 10 minutes by carfrom the centre of Apia, many Samoanpeople attended. Most caught a taxi fromthe city, but some families came togetherin their own or a friend’s car.

Total attendance was 298 people,with 90 per cent of the theatre’s fullcapacity reached before the start of themovie on the second night. After the

Samoans enjoy Japanese filmfestival in Apia

films were shown, most attendees said,“When will you be showing the nextJapanese films?” or “Are any moreJapanese cultural exhibitions or sportsdemonstrations coming up?”.

A Samoan national television(Televise Samoa) crew and a commercialbroadcasting corporation also coveredthe film festival. The ODAprogramme has contributed tomany Samoan people becominginterested in Japanese cultureand daily life.

After each showing, theJapanese Embassy handed outsurveys to attendees. The resultsshowed that most Samoanpeople would be interested inseeing more Japanese films,cultural exhibitions and sportsdemonstrations.

In September this year, the“International Cultural Festival”and “Teuila Festival” will be heldin Apia. The Teuila Festival is the

biggest in Samoa with “Teuila” beingSamoa’s national flower. The JapaneseEmbassy in New Zealand hopes to showmore Japanese films and have somecultural activities (e.g. teaching Samoanchildren to make Japanese kites or papercraft) in Apia during these festivals, aswell as on future occasions.

People arrive for the film show at the lecture hall,National University of Samoa.

The Japanese AntarcticResearch Expedition (JARE 44)took place from February 17 toMarch 13. It was part of a 10-stage programme in the Indiansector of Antarctica which beganin November 2001. This exhibi-tion had three main goals:

(1) Study of the bio-geochemicalcycle between the atmo-sphere and the upper ocean;

(2) Study of the sinking processfrom the surface productivelayer down to mid-deeplayers; and

(3) Study of gas exchangebetween air and water.

The NIPR chartered RVTangaroa from New Zealand’sNational Institute of Water andAtmospheric Research. The ship isdesigned for marine scienceresearch in polar waters and wasalso used in January last year forthe third phase of theprogramme.

Ambassador Koichi Matstumoto receives a gift from Professor Mitsuo Fukuchi, the programme leader of marinescience for JARE 44, at a function on board R.V. Tangoroa in Wellington on February 14. Mr Fukuchi is alsoDirector for the Centre for Antarctic Environment Monitoring at the National Institute of Polar Research(NIPR www.nipr.ac.jp).

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Grassroots Grant Aid forSamoan projects

Two projects have recently been completed under theGovernment of Japan’s Grassroots Grant Aid Programme.

On January 28, 2003, the Government of Japan jointly heldan official handing-over ceremony for the grant of NZ$162,884(approx. 265,500 Samoan Tala) to the Taelefaga Primary SchoolCommittee in Vaa o Fonoti district for the reconstruction of theschool buildings and equipment. The school had beenseverely damaged by cyclones in the 1990 and 1991.

Mr Hiromi Adachi, from the Embassy in Wellington,represented the Government of Japan and the presentationwas received by Leao Dr Tuitama, Member of Parliament forVaa o Fonoti district, Assistant Director of Education LemaluSiomia, Principal Seti Tina, the President of the SchoolCommittee and village of Taelefaga.

The project is in accordance with the aim of theGovernment of Samoa to improve the standard of educationthroughout Samoa.

The second completed project was the reconstruction ofthe Foailalo Health Centre, in Savaii.

On February 19, the Government of Japan jointly held anofficial handing-over ceremony for the grant of NZ$150,491(approx. 245,300 Samoan Tala) to the committee for FoailaloHealth Centre for the reconstruction of the Foailalo HealthCentre. Prime Minister Hon. Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoirepresented the Committee and Mr Isami Takada from theEmbassy in Wellington, represented the Japanese Government.Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Misa Telefoni, the Minister ofHealth Mulitalo Siafausa and other Cabinet Ministers attend-ed the ceremony, as well as the Leader of the Opposition LeMamea Ropati.

The centre had been damaged by fire soon after it wasbuilt in 1976 and by a cyclone in the early 1990s. The old

building was demolished and a new complex constructed withstrong support from the Committee and the localcommunities in the two districts it will serve, Salega andPalauli West.

The grant is in line with the Samoan Government’s 2002-2004 Strategy for Development, which aims to improvenational health standards.

Mr Isami Takada speaking at the handing-over ceremony at the FoailaloHealth Centre.

New Zealand Japan ExchangeProgramme (NZJEP)

The New Zealand Japan Exchange Programme wasestablished in 1974 by the New Zealand and JapaneseGovernments. Its general aim is to promote a deeperunderstanding between the two countries through aprogramme of educational and cultural exchanges.

Activities are conducted annually, which include visitsbetween New Zealand and Japan by educators, artists andscholars.

The Association of Colleges of Education in New Zealand(ACENZ) administers the NZJEP programme and invitesapplications from interested persons for funding towardsappropriate proposals.

There are two rounds of applications each year and thedeadlines for these are March 31 and October 31.

All applications should include a clear outline of the natureof the project, and should indicate how applicants intend toshare their experience and knowledge with others at thecompletion of their project. A full curriculum vitae anddetailed budget should also be included.

A set of guidelines for prospective applicants setting outhow proposals should be submitted and providing furtherinformation can be obtained from: Jocelyn Laine, ph: (04) 4727162, fax: (04) 472 9562, email: nzjep@acenz.ac.nz or write to:ACENZ, Box 10-298, Wellington.

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Sakai potters pay returnvisit to Wellington

Ten members of theSakai Potters Associationvisited Wellington fromFebruary 3-8, 2003. Theywere led by Mrs KazuyoHiruma, who had come tothe annual New Zealandpotters’ convention at TePapa in 1998 as a guestof the Wellington PottersAssociation ( WPA). As aresult of her visit, 10 pottersfrom the Wellington regionwent to Japan in 2001 andexhibited some of theirwork. They invited the Sakaipotters to come toWellington and the returnvisit took place in February.

The Wellington pro-gramme began with anofficial welcome by DeputyMayor Alick Shaw at theMichael Fowler Centre andthe opening of a joint exhibition,Form, Fire, Fusion, featuring workby potters from the Wellington regionand Sakai.

Over the next few days, the pottersvisited the studios of Dr DoreenBlumhardt, Mr Mirek Smisek and MsJenny Shearer on the Kapiti Coast and MrPaul Melser’s studio in the SouthWairarapa. They also went to theSculpture Symposium at Frank Kitts Park,

Shigei Ohashi, a New Zealand resident living at Waikanae, with his exhibits. He finds the New Zealand clay“very smooth”.

Wellington.Both Sakai and Wellington potters

gave demonstrations at the WPA roomsand two pots were made to symbolisethe friendship between the Wellingtonand Sakai potting associations. (Two potswere also made during the 2001 Sakaivisit.) Mr Roger Pearce, President of theWPA, said there were discussions aboutfuture exchange visits betweenWellington and Sakai, focussing either on

ceramics or some other form of art.The group also included members of

the Sakai Wellington Association and MrYoshiaki Wada, an official from the SakaiCity Government. Alternativearrangements were sometimes made forthe non-potters in the group, such as avisit to the Nga Manu bird sanctuary.

On Wednesday, February 5, the groupattended the Wellington SakaiAssociation’s annual dinner to celebrate

the signing of the sister cityagreement in February1994. The dinner was heldat the Yangtze Restaurantand included speeches byMrs Hiruma, Mr DouglasMilligan, President ofthe Wellington - SakaiAssociation, and Mr MasaruAniya, Director of theEmbassy’s Information andCultural Centre.

The groups’ visit toWellington was supportedby the New Zealand/JapanExchange Programme, theNissho Iwai Foundation andthe Wellington City Council.Host families includedmembers of the WPA,Wellington SakaiAssociation and theWellington Japan Society.

The exhibits brought to Wellington by members of the Sakai Potters Association.

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Students write of theirJapanese experiences

Erin Mary Dickinson -Gisborne Girls High School

Being in Japan has made me realise a lot about myfuture goals involving Japan and Japanese. My life-long dream is to become a teacher in a secondlanguage and four years ago I made the choice tostudy Japanese, thinking it another way to go in life ifneed be.

Travelling to Japan and having the opportunity toexperience Japan and its culture first-hand has beenoverwhelming. People still ask me how my trip wasand every time I am speechless because there is somuch to tell them about my Japanese experience, I donot know where to start. I enjoyed so many things.

I like the Japanese life-style, how they are alwaysbusy but know what they are doing. My Home-stayfamily treated me just like a “Japanese” girl.

Being involved in the family interested me becauseI was able to compare a Japanese family to my ownNew Zealand family, which is completely different.Taking the train was a first-time experience because, inGisborne, we do not have passenger trains but afterthe first time I was addicted. In my New Zealandschool we study about how Japanese people have abath on the floor. I totally under-estimated howdifferent it is, but it was so much fun - as was goingthrough the Japanese temples and shrines and (to asmall degree) learning about Japan history. It surprisedme how the Japanese people take so much pride inpreserving their historical artefacts.

My classmates enjoyed my photos and stories andit inspired them to travel, hopefully at the end of thisyear.

I would like to suggest that maybe having moretime in Tokyo and Hiroshima is better because I feltthat those days went by extremely fast and I wouldhave liked to experience more in the larger cities. Iwould also have liked to watch a match of Sumo orJudo.

But I cannot complain, I had the time of my life andthis has inspired me to continue my Japanese studiespast High School and possibly into a future career.Now I can understand more clearly about what I amlearning in the classroom because I have been there inperson.

Thanking you for the experiences that wordscannot start to explain.

Brett Wallbutton - Rutherford College

Three students participated in the Japanese-Language programme for high school students programme last year.

They were Erin Mary Dickinson from Gisborne High School, Ben Cribb from Manurewa High School andBrett Wallbutton from Rutherford College in Auckland.

The programme is run by the Japan Foundation. Here are their impressions of their two weeks in Japan.

Erin Mary Dickinson, Brett Wallbutton and Ben Cribb in front of Osaka Castle duringtheir visit to Japan last year under the Japanese Language Programme for highschool students.

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The programme that I took part inwas the most amazing experience I havehad. Everyday I would see and discovernew incredible things. I have learntmuch about Japan, and increased myknowledge of Japanese culture andother cultures.

I thoroughly enjoyed being able tolisten and speak Japanese every day.This has increased my learning, and hasgiven me a new thirst to deeply explorethe Japanese language. I feel like I haveexperienced so much of Japanese life,and I am now able to relate better toyoung Japanese people.

I also had the opportunity to meetand bond with other Japanese studentsfrom all over the world, including China,Indonesia, Russia, France, Canada,America and Taiwan.

I met extremely friendly Japanesepeople wherever I went. My host familywas wonderful. They were kind andvery friendly, especially my host sisterHitomi. Most of my time was spent inOsaka (which is a very amazing city). InOsaka I went to Universal Studios, Japan,an aquarium, Osaka Castle, shopping inthe city (in suburbs such as Mamba,Umeda and Den Den Tow) and I alsovisited a Japanese High School calledSemboku High School. At the school Iattended Japanese classes and also tookpart in some club activities after school.It was really enjoyable and I made manynew Japanese friends. I was veryhonoured to be interviewed by aJapanese newspaper on my experienceat Semboku Kookoo.

Other cities I visited were Tokyo,Kyoto and Hiroshima where we alsovisited Miyajima Island. All of theseplaces absolutely amazed me. Tokyowas incredibly vast and very busy. Thiscity was extremely interesting and Iwanted to find out everything andexplore the city more thoroughly.Kyoto and Miyajima were the mostbeautiful places I have ever visited. Inthe future I would like to re-visit Tokyoor Osaka and stay for a longer time. Myvisit to Hiroshima was very emotionaland it really opened up my mind.

The people at the Institute werereally friendly and helpful, especially mynew good friend Hiroyuki.

Ben Cribb -Manurewa High School

Experiences continued

This was definitely a life-changingexperience for me, and I would like tothank The Japanese Consulate Aucklandand Japanese Embassy in Wellington forgiving me the opportunity to participate

in this programme. I look forward tovisiting Japan again, and my aim isbecome a more confident speaker ofJapanese with the ability to have aconversation about anything.

Ben Cribb, with a Japanese friend, at the Hiroshima Dome.

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Japanese team enjoys WellingtonInternational Rugby Sevens

The International Rugby Sevenstournament in Wellington started onWednesday, February 5, with alunchtime parade by the teams fromParliament to Civic Square, whereMayor Kerry Prendergast welcomedthem to the city.

The games began at 1 p.m. onThursday, February 7 , and finishedwith the Cup Final the followingevening.

The 16 teams were divided intofour groups and Japan was in Pool Cwith Australia (26-5 - lost), Argentina(31-12 - lost) and China (7-33 - won).

The team lost to Niue in the Bowlquarter finals (25-0), beat PNG in thefirst Shield game (29-7), but lost theShield final to Tonga (29-26).

Japan’s team members were:Kyohei Fujito, Ryuta Kakizaki, TakashiKikutani, Ryohei Miki (Captain),Nataniela Oto, Katoni Otukolo, YoheiShinomiya, Kenji Shomen, MasazumiTanaka, Tomohiro Yamaguchi, EijiYamamoto and Hiroki Yoshida.

New Zealand beat England in theCup Final, (38-26), retaining their leadin the overall International SevensTournament (www.irbsevens.com).

Mr Yoshihisa Tsuji, head of the JapaneseSupplementary School ManagementCommittee, opened the annual sports day atChartwell School in Wellington on Sunday,February 16.

About 130 Kiwi and Japanese studentsparticipated in the sports day and enjoyed theevent in bright sunshine.

The events included a borrow-a-thing race,a mock cavalry race, a doughnut-on-a-stringrace and the traditional Japan versus NewZealand tug-of-war.

Chartwell School has a JapaneseSupple-mentary School where the childrenof Japanese families temporarily based inWellington are taught the Japanese curriculum.

Chartwell School Sports Day

The Japanese team wave to rugby fans during the street parade.

The Japanese team, one of 16 international teams at the tournament, arrives at Civic Squarefor the welcoming ceremony.

Children compete in the 100 metre race.

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Speech contestDr Fumio Kakubayashi, Senior Lecturer in Japanese at Massey

University, provided the following summary:“The Japanese Speech Contest for the Central Districts is an

annual event organised by the East Asian Studies Programme ofMassey University, Palmerston North. In 2002, the contest washeld on Friday, August 16 in the Auditorium of the Old MainBuilding, Massey University. Almost 50 students from 17 highschools participated, ranging from New Plymouth and HawkesBay to Levin.

The speeches included funny introductions of familymembers, school activities and accounts of unexpectedexperiences during trips to Japan. The audience sometimeslaughed, sometimes learnt about Japanese culture and theJapanese language.

Compared with past years, last year there were 50 per centmore participants and the contest was a great success. Prizewinners were: Mei Chu (St Peter’s College) for the first category(years 9 and 10): Lucas Schroeter (Awatapu College) and AliceHsu (Palmerston North Girls’ High School) for the secondcategory (years 11 and 12); Vicky Sun (Awatapu College) for thethird category (year 13); and Andy Hsu (Awatapu College) for theopen category.”

The speech contest is partly funded by the Japan Foundation.Website: www.jpf.go.jp

Four young visitors to the Japan Information andCultural Centre stand in front of a display of Hina-ningyo dolls set up for March 3, which is Doll FestivalDay in Japan.

Each doll represents a member of the ImperialCourt, beginning with the Emperor and Empress onthe top level, and they are all dressed in costumesfrom the Heian period (794-1185).

Japanese families set up displays to celebratethe growth and health of their daughters. However,because of the small size of Japanese homes, theyoften have only the two top dolls, the Emperor andEmpress.

It is rare to see a full set of dolls.Families celebrate the festival with a meal, eating

Hishimochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes) anddrinking Shirozake (made from rice malt and sake).

The original festival, which was mentioned in TheTale of Genji (11th century), was to protect peoplefrom evil.

Hinamatsuri Festival - Dolls Festival

Contestants try their skills at the speech contest under the watchfuleye of Mr Paul Knight, senior lecturer of Japanese at MasseyUniversity.

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RECEPTION: Mr Shisei Kaku, Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the Japanese Embassy, hosted a “welcome back”reception for JET participants whocompleted the programme in 2002 and returned to New Zealand. The reception was held at the James Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel in Wellington onFebruary 27, 2003. A similar function was hosted by the Consul-General, Mr Tatsuo Mizuno, in Auckland on February 28 and by Mr Eiichiro Yamada,Consular Officer in Christchurch, on March 7.

Wellington JET Alumni enjoyfellowship and events

Video competition 2003The JETAA National High School Japanese Video

Competition started in 2000 with the aim of encouragingstudents to share some aspect of their life in New Zealand withstudents in Japan.

High school students who study Japanese are eligible toenter the competition. It is similar to the Sony Foundationprogramme, “Let’s Send Video Messages to the World!” whichstarted in 1996.

For more information, contact the video competi-tion co-ordinator, Caroline Watson, Ph. (09) 424-1034Email: cjwatson@clear.net.nz.

The JETAA is an international Alumni Association for formerJET participants.

There are many chapters worldwide, including Wellington,Auckland and Christchurch.

The Wellington Chapter currently has 90-100 members. In2002, the Wellington JETAA Committee organised a NationalConference and an Australia/NZ Regional Conference, as well asmore light-hearted activities like the Karaoke Potluck Dinner. Aphoto exhibition at the Wellington Public Library lastNovember was very successful. It consisted of photoscontributed by Wellington members, based on the theme of

“Omoshiroi” (interesting/amusing). See photos on page 11.Wellington members were also invited to help with JET

promotions at universities and to be on the Question-and-Answer Panel for departing JET participants.

Two highlights of 2002 were the visits to New Zealand byPrime Minister Koizumi and HIH Crown Prince Naruhito andCrown Princess Masako.

JETAA Wellington representatives attended official dinnerson both occasions.

If you would like more information or become a member,please check their website, www.jetaawgtn.prg.nz

The Embassy of Japan has set up a “People to People” webportal at www.japan.org.nz. Individuals and organizations witha common interest in Japan can post notices of meetings,activities, or queries for information, etc on the website. Theaim is to encourage contact and cooperation, including sharingthe large pool of knowledge that has been built up throughmany years of contact between New Zealand and Japan.

Please contact the Japan Information and Cultural Centre atjapan.cul@eoj.org.nz if you or your organization would like topost something on the website. The portal can also beaccessed from the Embassy homepage, www.nz.emb-japan.go.jp

People to People

2002 JETS welcomed home

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JET Alumnimemories

Top Right:First year students at Oosagami Junior High Schoolscramble to grab the right letters to spell out“New Zealand”.

James Hurring - ALT, Saitama Prefecture, 1993-1995

Middle Right:Gaijin Sumo in Ishikawa Pefecture.

Chris Boorman - CIR, Toyama Prefecture, 1998-2001

Below:“Shokuin Ryokoo” the annual teachers’ trip.We “did” four prefectures in three days. There wereplenty of adventures along the way. (The WorldHeritage Gassho-style farm houses are in Shirakawa,Gifu Prefecture).

Jane Turner - ALT, Wakayama Prefecture, 1996-1999

(“Omashiroi” photo exhibition)

Interview panel enjoysKiwi JET hopefuls

Interviewers for Wellington region: (Standing) Keisuke Ishikawa,Kirsten Porteous (and seated) Dr Cyril Childs, Mr Paul Knight.

Interviews of applicants for the JET programme wereheld in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in mid-February.

Each year about 170 young graduates from NewZealand travel to Japan to commence 1-3 years asAssistant Language Teachers (ALTs) in Japanese schoolsor as Coordinators of International Relations (CIRs) inlocal body organizations.

This year 402 applications were received, about 40more than last year, and about 300 applicants wereinterviewed.

Candidates who have been accepted into theprogramme will be notified in April and will travel toJapan in July/August to take up their positions.

“One of the pleasures of serving on the interviewingpanel,” according to Dr Cyril Childs, one of the Wellingtoninterviewers, “is seeing and talking to many fine youngKiwi graduates setting out on their careers.

For many, the opportunity to assist in Japan willbroaden their outlooks, and influence and contribute totheir future careers.”

One such candidate, Fuatialemoana Lavea, inspiredthis poem by Dr Childs. Ms Lavea is currently a JETparticipant in Nagano.

Fuatialemoana

Talofa!

My name is FuatialemoanaI am a teacher.

Last year I finished my training,Now I have full controlof my class.

Every day is different,each of my students unique.I want to show them that educationcan take them places.

I am an ambassadorfor them for my backgroundis the same as theirs. We livein the same neighbourhood.

My goal is to go to Japanto help teach English to Japanesechildren, to learn aboutthe people and their culture.

My pupils will help me preparefor my journey. We will learnJapanese words together.

I am a teacherMy name is Fauatialemoana

Talofa!