Page 10 - 1984 Clippings

Ngaruawahia student chosen to represent New Zealand

TWO months ago, 17-year-old Hinerangi represent New Zealand on an American
Raumati told her family she was leaving Field Scholarship - and her destination is

Ngaruawahia suburbia for the bright lights Farmington, Minnesota.

Minnesota is a mid-western state in the
of the USA - and there was no way they United States, on the Canadian border - rich
could follow her. in both agriculture and industry. Its
Hinerangi had decided nearly a year nickname is the “Gopher State” because of
earlier she wanted to leave Ngaruawahia to the number of gophers that have been found
seek out the American way of life; discover there.
new territories she had never seen before; Minnesota gets its name from an Indian
and meet new people with new ideas. word meaning “sky-coloured water” and is
Her family warmly received the idea - often called “the land of the sky-blue
it was regarded by her parents Tom and water”.
Lorraine as a means of “seeing the world” The state is a leading producer of milk
and learning “new cultural experiences”. and eggs, and its farmers also raise large
And her brothers and sister - Glenda, crops of corn, soy-bean and barley.
Tahango and Whariki - were also Most of Minnesota is a rolling praire,
optimistic, but a little sad. They knew it but in the north lie rocky ridges which are
would be some time before they could look part of an old mountain range. Temperature
on their sister again. ranges from 10 degrees Fahrenheit in winter
But Hinarangi has yet to leave, and she to 70 degrees Fahrenheit in summer.
still has three weeks at home with her family Minnesota’s largest city is Minneapolis and
before she packs her bag for the trip of a its state capital is St Paul.
lifetime. Hinerangi confesses that she knows
Hinerangi is one of the very few lucky little of Minnesota or Farmington at present
people who each year are chosen to except that Minneapolis is “an hour’s drive

No comment for Comment

NGARUAWAHIA High School’s 15-month largely by himself - without pay and in
venture into newspaper journalism has his spare time.
But if that isn’t enough to turn
turned into a “one-man-band” for its Walter Cronkite off journalism, Maurie

sole surviving editorial staff member also plans to cover Ngaruawahia without
Maurie Abraham. the help of community organisations, and
When the “Ngaruawahia Comment” without people, it seems, who have an
first came hot off the press in November interesting story to tell.
1982, several teachers and seventh form “We (the school) are not getting
students were behind Maurie helping him spontaneous contributions from people,
to report community and school events. he says.
But today - and 10 issues later - “We are having to go out and hunt
Maurie faces the daunting task of news- for news all the time.”
gathering, writing, subbing and editing, “It’s surprising because every issue
advertising and managing circulation draws such a delightful response