NEWS
High school students relish a taste of Japan at IPU
Whilst IPU New Zealand are used to showcasing our wonderful campus to visiting groups, the weekend of 2-4 July 2021 saw two events, our Omatsuri Festival, and the Taster Weekend combining into a busy and very enjoyable few days for all involved.
The IPU New Zealand Omatsuri Festival brought over 200 secondary-school students to our Palmerston North campus to sample what IPU New Zealand has to offer, with the opportunity to mix with current IPU New Zealand students. Festivities were based around the Recreation Centre here on campus, with our visitors able to sample many facets of Japanese culture, including dancing, food, games, music and singing.
The Omatsuri Festival draws its inspiration from the traditional summer festivals held in Japan, and this year’s Festival saw staff and students from Awatapu College, Kapiti College, Feilding High School, Havelock North High School, Manawatu College, Orewa College, Otaki College, St Peter's College (Palmerston North), Tamatea High School, and Tauranga Boys' College take part.
Also attending the Festival, were over twenty year-11 and year-13 students, who had the opportunity to spend the weekend on the IPU New Zealand campus experiencing what it would be like to study here in Palmerston North. The students from Orewa College, St Peter's College (Palmerston North), Tamatea High School, and Tauranga Boys' College enjoyed a mixture of activities including attending demonstration classes in subjects ranging from TESOL to International Relations, sampling Japanese culture and cuisine. We also took the chance to show them some of the delights to be found in Palmerston North, including a visit to the Wildbase Recovery Centre.
Luckily the weather was kind for most of the time both groups spent with us, and the event was hailed as a great success by all who took part. Planning has already started for the next Taster Weekend, to be held in August, and after that, we intend to hold a Taster Weekend each month until the end of the year.
If your school would like to attend of our Taster Weekends, or organise an exclusive Japanese immersion experience at IPU New Zealand, please contact us at nzinfo@ipu.ac.nz
