There will be no wearing singlets, or ripped jeans, or having Facebook sessions for two Wanganui girls going to China for 10 days.
Jahniva-Lee Kotuhi-Hogan and Gabriel Baron, both 17 and in Year 13 at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Tupoho, are off to Shanghai with teacher Betty-Joe Wiari on July 15. Jahniva-Lee was the top female speaker at the recent Aotea Region Nga Manu Korero National Secondary School Speech Contest.
The three will be hosted by a Chinese family and be among other young people from 18 countries at a 10-day youth camp in Shanghai.
It will be a packed 10 days. They will be expected to learn aspects of Chinese language and culture, as well as share their own culture, and they have been preparing some taonga (treasures) to take.
There won't be much time for shopping and using social media will be banned.
The opportunity came through the Chin-Mao (New Zealand China Maori Friendship Charitable) Trust. It had two students from Murupara lined up to go, but they were unable to get to the camp. The Wanganui girls replaced them and will be joined by a boy from Wellington.
Attendees have to pay their own air fares ($2500 return from New Zealand), but everything else is provided. The girls have sponsorship from Wanganui's Pakaitore Trust and are also paying some themselves and getting a contribution from their school.
Principal Stuart Kawau said the school's board of trustees would like to send two students to the camp every year. The school expected three benefits from their going - learning about business opportunities in China, finding out why its education system was so successful and building life-long friendships between the young people.
"We have started an entrepreneurship course this year and it's become a curriculum subject. Eventually we will probably end up sending students doing well in that course," he said.
The school has grown a lot since it started with six pupils in 1995. Mr Kawau said there were now 100 primary pupils, 35 secondary pupils and 18 in its preschool.