Dane gets ‘under the skin’ at te reo school
A 17-year-old Danish teen has become the first foreign exchange student to study at a full te reo school after deciding he wanted an ‘‘authentic Maori experience’’.
Patrick Svensson, who arrived in New Zealand about 11 months ago, has left the more traditional schooling at Southland Boys’ High School and opted to instead attend a full te reo school.
He moved to the Te Wharekura o Arowhenua school in Invercargill in February and will stay there for the remainder of his one-year exchange programme.
Svensson is fluent in Dutch, English, German and speaks some Spanish. He now intends to add Maori.
He has become fully involved in the culture, learning traditional Maori greetings, art, carving, haka and the history of New Zealand.
‘‘I’ve sort of seen under the skin,’’ he said.
Te Wharekura o Arowhenua principal Gary Davis said Svensson fit in well and had ‘‘a real connection with Maori culture’’.
‘‘He’s been immersed in our language classes.’’
The exchange was a great experience for both Svensson and the New Zealand students at the school, Davis said.
He would be happy to take on more foreign students and hoped the students at the school would be encouraged to travel overseas and become involved in exchanges in non-English countries too, he said.