February 16, 2020
Parihaka gifts name for Kapiti arts centre
Parihaka and Taranaki leaders have blessed the opening of a new $12 million performing arts centre at Kapiti College.
Te Raukura ki Kāpiti, as it was named by the iwi, will be opened to the public next Saturday in a festival-like open day by Finance Minister Grant Robertson.
Te reo Māori teacher Paora Trim says the college has a long association with Parihaka and Taranaki, and recently put in place a Parihaka-based curriculum and set of values within the school.
He says te raukura, the plume of white feathers worn by many Taranaki people, represents spiritual, physical, and communal harmony and unity despite hardship.
As part of the opening season at the centre’s Courtland Theatre, the college will restage Parihaka, a historical drama written by Paora Trim and Nicola Easthope.
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