Just a Bit of Background Knowledge

Just to get a better idea of what New Zealand's all about....

Location
New Zealand's just southeast of Australia and south of several other Pacific Islands (Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, etc)

first time south of the equator!

Population
The majority of the population are of European descent, although there are strong minority groups from the Maori population and other Pacific Island populations. The total population adds up to around 4.25 million people, with the highest concentration in Auckland. About 2/3 of the population live in the exterior areas/cities in more rural areas, spread out throughout the rest of the country.

Culture
The culture of New Zealand, due to the population majority, is mostly tied to European culture. Though not as dominant, Pacific Island cultures & Maori cultures are also visible throughout New Zealand.

Maori culture, however, holds a fairly strong position in regards to national culture. Though the Maori were put into a subjective role under European settlers, today they still retain some aspects of their culture despite having been assimilated to a great degree. The Maori language is actually a national language and is visible in a great deal of places, such as street signs, schools, city/town names, landmark names, etc. In some places, it is possible, mostly as what seems to be a tourist dealing, to witness/partake in some traditional Maori customs, such as the dancing, social interaction, food, etc.

As far as food goes, it seems that there are some similarities between the food found in the U.K. and the food found in New Zealand. With the immigration of more and more Pacific Islanders though, it seems that the influence of their cuisine has greatly impacted the types of food available. Something that also really caught my attention (I'm a real raw-food junky), was that, thanks to the climate, a good deal of vegetables and fruit grow fairly well throughout the country. They're also known for their meats, from cattle, venison, and sheep. Supposedly the meats are all very healthful and delicious thanks to how much available grassland that is available to raise the livestock in a much better fashion than most other places do (if only I wasn't a vegetarian - although maybe I'll end up changing my ways). New Zealand's also widely known for their wineries that they have a fair deal of thanks to the climate that suits grape-growing.

Language for the most part shouldn't be too much of a problem, as English seems to be the most widely spoken language in the country. I'm pretty sure that I'll catch myself slipping up on some words or phrases though, such as "loo/toilet," "rubber," and any other colloquial term that doesn't quite match up with what we normally use in the States. The hardest language dilemma might be picking up some of the Maori langauge, as they tend to incorporate it into the school's teaching and other characteristics. Some key phrases I found though were:

Welcome Haere mai / Nau mai

Hello Kia ora, Kia ora rā kōrua (dl) Kia ora koutou (pl)

How are you? I'm fine, thanks. And you?	Kei te pēhea koe?
	Kei te pai
Long time no see	He roa te wā kua kitea
What is your name? My name is ...	Ko wai tōu ingoa?
	Ko ... ahau
Where are you from? I'm from ...	Nō hea koe?
	Nō ... ahau
Good Morning	Kia ora, Ata mārie, Mōrena
Good afternoon/evening	Kia ora
Good night	Pō mārie
Goodbye	Hei kona rā (inf)

Food

As for food, New Zealand is widely known for being a huge producer of fresh produce and tasty grass-fed meats, not to mention their popularity as a wine-producing country. A lot of this they owe to the amazingly fertile landscape and the climate they have available to them. I have to admit that I’m extremely excited about the fresh produce as I’m a huge raw-food junkie. I am a vegetarian, but maybe by the end of my stay I might have changed my ways due to how delicious the meats are supposed to be.

The cuisine used to be mainly influenced, and still is to a great degree, by European cuisines, especially that of the U.K. Euro dishes, such as fish and chips, however, give way to a fair deal of Maori cooking customs as well as the influence of various cuisines brought over by Pacific Islanders in recent years. One sampling of New Zealand cuisine that I really want to try out is the Maori style of cooking using a hangi. A pit is dug into the ground where stones are heated by fire. Various meats and vegetables are then thrown on top, followed by all sorts of plant leaves/brush to cover the food, and then a layer of dirt is thrown on top. The cooks leave it all to cook/steam for several minutes before digging it up and serving it.

Weather

Something I’m greatly looking forward to is the weather. Seeing as we’ll be traveling south of the equator, seasons will be the complete opposite of what we’ll be experiencing here over the months of October, November, and December. When we get down there, New Zealand will be towards the middle of their spring and heading into their summer. So while everyone is up in Green Bay freezing their butts off, Alissa and I will be likely roasting our butts of when things start to heat up down there.

As it’s completely surrounded by water, the climate of New Zealand is somewhat more temperate, and greatly affected by ocean currents and wind patterns. From research and what I’ve heard from friends who spent time down there, I’ve received multiple warnings of the very temperamental weather. In the course of one day, weather patterns can go from sunny and blue-skied to cloudy and windy rain bursts. Looking at the time span from October through December, temperatures will be starting out around the 60’s and working their way up to the 80’s (and potentially higher) by the time we’ll be ending our experience in New Zealand. I’m also looking into the potential purchase of a very wide-brimmed hat, as the combination of ozone layer problems and sun intensity will likely turn me into a lobster crisp.

Education

For the most part, education in New Zealand and the curricula vary from school to school. While the government sets some very basic standards, it seems that a great deal of freedom is given to teachers in regard to what they teach to their students. It also seems that some schools set up their own standards/objectives that are to be met by all teachers over the course of the year. These standards, however, don’t seem to be nearly as strict/demanding as the ones that we find here in the States.

Swanson School

The school itself, Swanson School, is located in Swanson in Waitakere City, a region just outside of Auckland on the North Island. Outside of the more urban part of Auckalnd, the school’s near the edge of the rural areas right along the Waitakere Reserve along the Western Coast.

With a little less than 500 students, Swanson School has students from various backgrounds of Maori, Pacific Islander, and European. The students are divided up into four main groups based on their age. Each group is given a Maori name, some of which are the names of native trees or plants. The eldest group of students, years 6-8 are under the Totara team, named after one of the tallest trees that grows natively in New Zealand.

Because of the strong influence of the Maori culture, the school takes special steps to give a place to Maori culture and language in the classroom. This is actually included in the school’s curricular objectives. I have not closely examined any other particular school’s curriculum, but I can only assume that other public schools have some similarities in regards to including Maori education.

While I’m down there I’ll be working with the Totara group, the oldest/highest group of students there. Specifically, I’ll be working in the classroom with Amanda Douglas and her mix of seventh and eighth year students. It’ll be a bit of a change from the high school students I’ve gotten used to working with, but I’m more than a little excited about the change.