Te Kura o Pakipaki students Destiny McGarvey-Aranui and Awatea Peakman showing Whaea Mihi Hannah and Papa Ashton Aranui how to test the quality of soil. Photo / Jessica Munro
Te Kura o Pakipaki students Destiny McGarvey-Aranui and Awatea Peakman showing Whaea Mihi Hannah and Papa Ashton Aranui how to test the quality of soil. Photo / Jessica Munro
Students of a Hastings kura are now equipped to understand and protect bodies of water, including their inhabitants, water quality, and impact on soil, so they can pass on knowledge to the community.
Te Kura o Pakipaki was one of 10 schools in Aotearoa, and the only one in Hawke’s Bay, that received a share of $50,000 from Countdown’s Growing for Good funding to help make their idea to address climate change and boost sustainability a reality.
The school’s Hinewai Project is aimed at teaching tamariki, local iwi and hapū how to create healthy waterways and awa (rivers).
To do that, primary school students have been given the knowledge and equipment to check the health of waterways themselves and to do what they can to improve and protect their health.
Principal Jessica Munro said it was important for the children to be involved in making sure the waterways were healthy because it had a direct impact on their health.
“Our kura, we are surrounded by waterways and our tamariki swim in them because they go and collect eels,” Munro said.
“Hinewai is the goddess of the waterway, and we are making a positive impact by going there and making sure the quality is great.”
She said the funding allowed the kura to purchase natives to propagate for planting, water quality testing equipment, kits to identify invertebrates living in the water, and soil testing kits that allow the students to go into incredible detail recording what they learn about the health of their awa.
“We also learn through our maramataka (Māori lunar calendar) so we know when is a good time to plant. We are learning about when is a good time to reflect on what we have learned and when to proceed with a new strategy or plan,” she said.
“We’ve noticed along our waterways that there are some with absolutely no shelter so that water quality isn’t as great as those with shelter.”
They’ve invited whānau in so tamariki can show what they are learning.
“The bigger picture is for our kids to be able to teach another kura, to show their community what they have learned,” Munro said.
“It is pai for their waiora (good for their wellbeing). They are making that impact for their atua, whether it is Papatūānuku (Earth), whether it is Hinewai.”
Pakipaki School students (from left) Lehvyl Faletau, Levi Taylor, Awatea Peakman, and Piper Povey. Their school received a share of $50,000 from Countdown's Growing for Good funding to support their Hinewai Project. Photo / Paul Taylor
Student Hayley Price said her favourite part was learning about what creatures living in waterways told her about their overall health.
“[We have been] doing little experiments with the water, like getting a scientific container and putting the water into pipes to see how clear it was,” Hayley said.
Student Linkyn Peakman said he liked to go eeling in his local waterways and he had learned about which of his local streams were cleaner than others.
“I showed my whānau the temperature and the water clarity. They were surprised that it was good,” Linkyn said.
James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz
