Six young Northlanders are in the US hoping to do their country and iwi proud as they contest the world problem-solving championships.
Kerikeri High School's Te Reo Team - Caleb Wilson, Rawiri Webb, Savanah Peters-Heihei, Jasmin Winikerei, Tamiana Iorangi and Breeze Durham - were last year named New Zealand's topcommunity problem solvers for their efforts to protect and promote te reo Maori.
The 12 and 13-year-olds installed bilingual signs around their school, taught lunchtime te reo classes for their teachers, organised a marae stay for overseas students and campaigned for correct pronunciation, especially of Northland place names.
Since last year's national victory earned them the right to contest the world title in the US, they have been working hard to raise money. They have also made a DVD, filmed in part at Rewa's Village in Kerikeri, and featured on TV One's Marae Investigates last Sunday.
The team, accompanied by parents and coaches Kim Rogers and Tania Peters-Heihei travelled to Bloomington in Indiana, where the contest is being hosted by Indiana University.
Also heading to the world champs are two other Kerikeri High School teams, winners of the national middle and senior division global issues problem solving titles.
The Future Problem Solving International Conference 2012 started on Thursday (US time) and gets underway in earnest today. The awards ceremony is due to take place on Sunday.
