Science Fair winners Kiani Pou and Nathan Tarawa, of Northland College in Kaikohe, with their science teacher Jenny Edwards and Top Energy chief executive Russell Shaw. PHOTO / PETER DE GRAAF
Science Fair winners Kiani Pou and Nathan Tarawa, of Northland College in Kaikohe, with their science teacher Jenny Edwards and Top Energy chief executive Russell Shaw. PHOTO / PETER DE GRAAF
A project examining how farmers can combat one of New Zealand's most pressing environmental problems has earned two Northland College students the title of the Far North's top young scientists.
Kiani Pou of Taheke and Nathan Tarawa of Otaua won the senior section of the Top Energy Far North Science and Technology Fair with a project called "Where's that P? Phosphorus runoff in Northland soils".
The winners were announced at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri on Friday. The two 17-year-olds' long-running project measured phosphorus runoff at the school's farm in Kaikohe after applying different kinds of fertiliser.
Nathan said runoff could kill fish, eels and other freshwater life. Too much phosphate in the water caused eutrophication, in which a surplus of nutrients caused rapid growth of algae and starved other life of oxygen.
Kiani said their aim was to come up with a strategy allowing the school farm to avoid polluting local waterways.
They found runoff could be minimised by switching to RPR (reactive phosphate rock) fertiliser, although it is less popular among farmers because of its slow release. Superphosphate was the worst in terms of runoff.
Nathan said their findings could be applied to farms around Northland with similar soils. Winning was "cool for our school and our families", he said.
Kiani said they could not have won without the help and hard work of their science teacher, Jenny Edwards.
Next year, Kiani hopes to study agricultural sciences at Lincoln University while Nathan wants to study apiculture (beekeeping) at Telford.
Both sets of parents said they were proud and thankful to Ms Edwards. Their children had worked hard after hours, sometimes until 1am and at weekends to complete the project.
Kiani's mother, Lara Paki, said her daughter helped with milking on the family farm alongside her schoolwork. She hoped Kiani would one day take over the farm.
"We're very proud. This is really big for us."
Chief judge Julie Harrisson said the winning project was relevant and applicable to Northland farms. It had been carried out over a long period with clear goals.
Normally the $1000 top prize is shared if there is more than one winner but sponsor Top Energy doubled it so each still took home the full amount.
It is not Kiani and Nathan's first win in a major competition. Last year, along with classmate Te Awhina Kopa, their student company Hokianga Honey won the title of best Maori business in the national Young Enterprise Scheme awards.
Northland Regional Council excellence award winner Shani Eisenmann with councillor Dover Samuels. Shani's project examined the factors influencing gorse germination and growth. PHOTO / LOIS ANDREWES
The other big winner at the science fair was Shani Eisenmann of Waima. The Kerikeri High School student took home the $1000 Northland Regional Council excellence award for her project Prickly Preferences, which examined factors influencing gorse growth.
Top prize for swimming project
The youngest winner of a gold award at the Far North Science and Technology Fair was 12-year-old Grace White, a Year 7 student at Russell School.
Grace's project, Every Second Matters, examined different freestyle swimming techniques to determine which was the most efficient. In racing, even small gains in efficiency and therefore speed, can make the difference between winning and losing.
Grace White, of Russell, was the only Year 7 student to win a gold award at the Far North Science and Technology Fair. Photo / Supplied
Her study was inspired by the long-running debate between straight-arm and bent-arm swimming, and her swim instructor, Myra Larcombe.
Mrs Larcombe, an Opua identity who has been teaching swimming for 68 years, accompanied Grace to the awards evening at the Turner Centre on Friday.
Grace was the only Year 7 student to win gold. She also won the premier intermediate award for the best Year 7-8 science project in the Far North.
Another Russell School project, Stream Study by Ruby Cleland-Uea and Teeiariiti Arama, both aged 11, was the only Year 7 project to win a silver award.
Senior: Nathan Tarawa and Kiani Pou, Northland College, for: Where's that P? Phosphorus runoff through Northland soils. Junior: Isaac Chandler, Kerikeri High School, for: Phone Power. Intermediate: Grace White, Russell School, for: Every Second Matters.
