New tourism course inspires Māori and Pasifika students

<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">In a first for New Zealand education&comma; a group of high school students has graduated from Manaaki T&amacr;poi &lpar;cultural tourism&rpar; course&period; The seven-week course takes 16 and 17-year-olds out of the classroom to learn about the country&&num;8217&semi;s burgeoning cultural tourism industry&period;<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">&&num;8220&semi;The students &&num;8211&semi; from schools across the top of the South Island and the West Coast &&num;8211&semi; focus on key elements of Mãori culture and how they can be marketed to international and national visitors&period; The course is delivered in a marae setting and in accordance with M&amacr;ori cultural practices&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>A highlight of the seven-week&comma; full-time course is a trip to Wellington to visit the capital city’s cultural highlights and includes a waka tour and a briefing from New Zealand M&amacr;ori tourism’s chief advisor&comma; Hoki-mai Chong&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The course is run by Whenua Iti Outdoor Education Centre in the Tasman region&comma; in partnership with the Top of the South Trades Academy&comma; the West Coast Trades Academy and the Ministry of Education&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Education centre manager Mark Bruce-Miller said the Manaaki Tapoi course was &&num;8220&semi;incredibly exciting &&num;8211&semi; something new&comma; something different&&num;8221&semi;&period; &&num;8220&semi;Our young people get to see just how special cultural tourism is in New Zealand&comma; the role they can play in it&comma; and how education doesn’t have to be about sitting in a classroom&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;