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Te Ao Hou, June 1966, Page 45

place I come from … Seems to me I'm in a New World which I've never seen anything like before…” “The screeching of tyres, the buzzing of the stop and go lights and the smell of rubber with the fast traffic, makes the country boy think twice before stepping off the footpath. The drivers and their vehicles do not give way to pedestrians, just to traffic officers sometimes …” Students were also asked for their impressions at the end of the course. Some still complained of speed, of rude shop assistants, of pressure to be on time, of hostel rules (such as no smoking in bed), murderous traffic, and of the wind. But almost all said they were beginning to enjoy city life, because of their chances of a good job, the people they were meeting, the variety of activities, and the excitement. One girl put it this way: “I like the way time flies in the city. There is so much to do I can't do it all in one day, so my activities are spread and varied. I also like the kind way people treat us when we are shown around, and when we pay visits and receive visits. I hate all the boys around town who have grown their hair long just to be ‘with it’. They are as irritating as the continuous stream of cars passing the hostel at all hours of the night, and the gale that blows at about 100 miles an hour.” One boy was much more terse: “I intend to stay here,” he wrote, “because there is no work for me at home. When I've finished learning a trade I want to move to a smaller city.” One of the most striking features of the course was its reception by business people. Employers were genuinely interested in the students, and though job placement took many hours, most firms approached were sympathetic, helpful and encouraging. One girl who was placed in a good position in an insurance office went home the weekend before she was to start. Instead of being resentful, the manager assured the Polytechnic teacher who had made the arrangements that his firm was still interested and virtually promised that a job would be available for a student from next year's course. Though the course was a success, some mistakes were made. Too much was attempted and students were completely exhausted at the end of the first week. Too many new experiences all coming at once left them with the feeling they were seeing the world through blurred glasses made for somebody else. They found it hard to absorb all the information being fed to them, even though it was related to practical problems. The adjustment to hostel life, to new ways of doing things, to the hardness of the pavements, the slope of the streets, the constant nagging of people about “being on time”—all tended to lead to confusion and tiredness. This pilot scheme was held to discover whether such a course is feasible and valuable. It is. Now the Department of Maori Affairs is faced with the question of whether it can be extended to other cities. One of the reasons for holding it in Wellington was the interest taken by the Polytechnic, but there is an equal need for the same type of course in Auckland and Christchurch. Christchurch, in particular, could be an excellent centre. Distance from home towns is not of major importance (and may even be an advantage), accommodation is easier, chances of employment are good, and there is a steadily growing Maori population. No one has argued that such courses are the complete answer to the problems of integration of Maoris into city life, but they certainly help with some of the most pressing difficulties. At present, country education does not match that given in the cities, and the Maori boy or girl is at a marked disadvantage in competition for jobs. In the meantime, until rural education improves, the Polytechnic's course is both necessary and valuable.