Prizewinning idea puts culture on-line

Carine Poot.

An essay by a University of Waikato student promoting the use of social networking tools, such as Facebook, to support Dutch culture in NZ has won the 2008 Hanny van Roekel prize.

Carine Poot, who’s Kiwi-born with a Dutch father, received the award from the Netherlands Ambassador to NZ, HE Annelies Boogaerdt, at a ceremony at the university last month.

Offered annually by the NetherlaNZ Foundation, the $2,000 prize is open to third-year undergraduates or higher level students for research into any aspect of the Dutch community in NZ or relations between NZ and the Netherlands.

The former St Oran’s College student will graduate in May with an honours degree in Electronic Commerce, majoring in marketing and communication. She is currently working at Saatchi & Saatchi DGS in Auckland, where her job involves research into social networking.

Ms Poot says more than 40 per cent of the Dutch community in NZ is now over 45, and there are worries the culture will be lost.

“I wanted to look at ways to engage with the younger generation of Dutch Kiwis, and social networking sites are where young people spend an increasing amount of their time.”

Her winning essay compared three ethnic community groups on Facebook, and suggested ways to create an on-line community that will successfully enhance Dutch culture in NZ.

The judging committee noted that Ms Poot offered a quite original and professionally written analysis of social networking technology, and suggested that the NetherlaNZ Foundation may wish to follow up this analysis.

Ms Poot says her family still retains Dutch customs such as eating salty liquorice and celebrating St Nicholas Day on 5th December as well as Christmas.

“One international Facebook group ‘You know you’re Dutch when you love chocolate sprinkle sandwiches’ has more than 14,000 members, so there’s obviously interest out there in connecting with people and finding out about your heritage,” she says.

“Plus it’s inexpensive to set up a group on a social networking site, and I’d be happy to help out if the foundation decides to follow up on my ideas.”