A new degree has been created in order to foster Pacific talent, as well as meet the increase in demand for Pacific creativity in the arts and entertainment industries.
BEST Pacific Institute of Performing Arts Photo: PIPA
The BEST Pacific Institute of Performing Arts, or PIPA, is promising it's new Bachelor of Performing Arts (Pacific) will open doors for the Pacific creative community in New Zealand.
The three year degree is a combination of western performing arts, dance and acting combined with Pacific performance and Pacific culture and history.
The head of school Bronwyn Bradley said it was important that Pacific people were enabled to tell their own stories.
"People need to be representing their own stories. For someone else to be telling that story, it's not an accurate representation of it.
"That's not to say that that's not happening in fact a lot of our tutors here have been working in the industry for years and are telling their own stories and are creating their own stories but their experience is different than the experience of the young people we have coming through."
Ms Bradley said the degree has its first intake of 25 students beginning in March.