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Introduction
Our office is located on the Whangaparoa Peninsula, about
forty minutes north of central Auckland. Whangaparoa is
also known as the Hibiscus Coast and is popular for sailing,
fishing, surfing and for its beautiful bays and beaches.
In Maori, Whangaparoa means "The Bay of the Whales" as
in earlier times whales were often to be seen in the bay.
On the subject of whales, many people may know of the
New Zealand movie Whale Rider that has won much acclaim
round the world. It follows the experience of a young
Maori girl growing up in a small seaside town in the
north island of New Zealand.
Koro is a tribal elder who, in the search for the next
generation of leaders, overlooks his granddaughter Pai
as a possible leader of the tribe. He stubbornly holds
to a legend about whale riding male leaders and he believes
it impossible for a woman to lead. He prevents his granddaughter
from attending a special school where he teaches traditional
martial arts and grooms the tribe's next generation
of leaders. Whale Rider is the story of how a girl overcomes
her exclusion from the traditional paths to leadership
and becomes a leader of her people through her own initiative
and strength of character.
New Zealand director Niki Caro deals with the potential
difficult subject with great sensitivity and the film
has picked up many awards around the world since its
release. The story was taken from a novel by the contemporary
Maori author Witi Ihemaira.
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