Rangatahi from Christchurch secondary schools attended a two-day Kia Ora Hauora Noho Taiao held at Wairewa Marae last month.
The wānanga delivered science curricular through a kaupapa Māori lens, where rangatahi got the chance to learn about conservation, environmental issues and traditional food gathering practices from local Ngāi Tahu, Craig Pauling and Iaean Cranwell.
The wānanga encouraged rangatahi to consider taking sciences when making their 2014 subject choices at school and featured a haerenga to the local reserve at Ōkuti, where they identified native plants and learnt about traditional uses, before travelling to the Kaitōrete Spit side of Te Waihora.
Once lakeside, they made their way along the shoreline searching for kakī anau (black swan) nests and were shown which hua kakī anau – swan eggs to gather and which eggs to leave behind.
That evening, they set hīnaki to catch tuna as part of Wairewa’s tracking and monitoring programme and the next day conducted a State of Takiwā survey on the area surrounding the marae. They also experienced electric fishing along the banks of the awa, Ōkana.
This was the second Kia Ora Hauora wānanga held at the marae, and students enjoyed the whanaungatanga among the different high schools and appreciated the opportunity to learn about the taiao outside the classroom. It was an action-packed wānanga and the swan egg omelettes were reka rawa atu.
Rakaia Kiel-Kerwin, Te Amo Tamainu, Nopera Te Rupe and Tahi Baggaley holding the long fin tuna.
Craig Pauling, Hayden Thompson (Nō Wairewa) and Nature Edwards electric fishing.
Delane Luke, Sam Mokomoko, Craig Pauling, Tane Chase and Michael Laulu gathering hua kakī anau on Kaitōrete Spit.
Rōpū outside Makō.