After a free screening in Wellington earlier this month, Aucklanders are getting a chance to see The heART of the Matter. (WIFT member Jan Bieringa produced the feature.)
The HeART of the Matter looks at major changes in New Zealand teaching which began after World War ll. A group of bureaucrats and arts specialists (including Clarence Beeby and Gordon Tovey) set about introducing a "thoroughly bicultural and arts-centred education system" to schools - in contrast to the rote learning of the past. Combining interviews and archival footage, Luit and Jan Bieringa (The Man in the Hat) examine this period of radical educational reform, and ask what lessons can be applied to the present. Director Luit Bieringa will introduce the film.
When: 6pm, Wednesday 26 April - all welcome
Where: WG404, Sir Paul Reeves building, AUT City Campus
"Given current challenges in education, and because this rich history is beginning to fade from living memory, 'Tovey era' stories need revisiting now more than ever� New Zealand needs a strong story that challenges the notion of the arts as a 'frill' in the educational process. Not arts or science - but both taught creatively for our children, students of all cultures, and the public at large to enhance and partake of the challenging future," says Jan Bieringa.
Image: Rawiri Henare and other pupils at Ouraiti School, early 1950s.