Tukituki Land Care: Connecting CHB students to their land and water

The students on a farm where a sign shows the water level during Cyclone Gabrielle.

By Holly Ormond, Tukituki Land Care

Last year, Tukituki Land Care (TLC), a farmer-led catchment collective, awarded demonstration grants to several Tukituki sub-catchments.

The Papanui catchment chose to focus its grant on education, organising a series of field trips to help students connect with their land and waterways. This week, the final tour concluded with students from Ōtāne taking part in a hands-on learning experience that explored local history, natural events and environmental science.

Ōtāne School children searching for macroinvertebrates.

Across four tours, students from Pukehou School and Ōtāne School spent a full day exploring their catchment. Activities included paddling in the river, testing water clarity, searching for macroinvertebrates and running fun experiments such as floating apples downstream to measure the current.

The children were amazed by the different creatures they found living in the water and had fun identifying them. A highlight for many was reaching a pā site for a panoramic view of the catchment.

“These tours have been a fantastic way to connect young people with the land and waterways around them,” said Pixie Seligman, catchment co-ordinator at TLC. “It’s inspiring to see these children learning about their environment in ways that simply can’t be replicated in a classroom.”

Pukehou School juniors checking for water clarity.

The tours benefited from the support of organisations including Central Hawke’s Bay Enviroschools, Wai Connection, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) and members of the Papanui Catchment Group. Kahotea Farming and Ludlow Farm also took part, inviting the students to their farms as part of the tours.

Pukehou students searching for creatures in the water.

In addition to the field trips, TLC and the Papanui catchment group are partnering with Trees for Survival and Wai Connection to introduce shade houses at both Pukehou and Ōtāne Schools. This initiative will empower students to raise and plant native seedlings, fostering a long-term connection with conservation and native habitat restoration.

To find out more about the work of TLC and to connect with your local catchment group, head to www.tukitukilandcare.org.