Wainui Beach School student Beatrix Pauwels (left) and Makauri School student Asha Hughes with their respective caregivers Fred Pauwels and Samantha Harding enjoy the sights and experiences of the Poor Knights Island Marine Reserve in Northland. The two students were selected for the visit after taking part in action or art projects based on the marine environment. Photo / Sophie Journee
Wainui Beach School student Beatrix Pauwels (left) and Makauri School student Asha Hughes with their respective caregivers Fred Pauwels and Samantha Harding enjoy the sights and experiences of the Poor Knights Island Marine Reserve in Northland. The two students were selected for the visit after taking part in action or art projects based on the marine environment. Photo / Sophie Journee
Makauri School pupil Asha Hughes and Wainui Beach School pupil Beatrix Pauwels were among 28 environmentally-minded students chosen to visit a marine reserve in Northland.
The students visited the spectacular Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve 23km off Northland’s Tūtūkākā Coast on the 23rd annual Poor Knights competition trip sponsored by Dive! Tutukaka and The Bobby Stafford-Bush Foundation.
The trip, managed by Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) - Te Kura Moana, selects students based on action projects they have undertaken and the enthusiasm they show when studying and experiencing the marine environment.
“Action projects this year included monitoring rimurimu with the Love Rimurimu project in Wellington, eDNA monitoring, video projects to promote a local marine reserve and nesting box monitoring for the little blue penguin,” says EMR founder Samara Nicholas.
The Bobby Stafford-Bush Foundation supports the special prize for young Kiwis who have experienced the marine environment with EMR and display that passion and experience through art.
Asha was the art recipient for Tairāwhiti and Beatrix’s action project focused on eDNA.
The 2024 students (each with a guardian) came from as far north as Matauri Bay (in the Far North District) and as far south as Canterbury to experience one of Aotearoa’s oldest marine reserves.
EMR started in Tai Tōkerau/Northland in 2001 with just three schools and the idea of comparing unprotected marine areas to fully protected marine areas, with water safety messages embedded throughout the programme.
Seeing huge tāmure/snapper swimming has inspired thousands of kids to take action for the marine environment and exercise kaitiakitanga (guardianship) for their local beach or harbour.
Students from all over the country enjoyed the abundance of fish species in the Poor Knights Island Marine Reserve 22 kilometres off the Northland Coast. Photo / Lorna Doogan
Since 2002, 591 students from 424 schools have visited Islands Marine Reserve in Northland. Each student attends with a parent or guardian and it’s a chance to connect whānau to the environment
The lucky students of 2024 snorkelled the stunning gardens at Maroro Bay, part of the Poor Knights Islands that have been protected by no-take status since 1981.
The students saw many schools of blue maomao, black angel fish, tāmure/snapper galore and the friendly Sandager’s wrasse.
The Gisborne students loved their time at Poor Knights.
“This amazing experience will stay in my memory forever,” said Beatrix.
“I loved going into Rikoriko cave and seeing the amazing varieties of fish.”
Asha Hughes said she saw lots of snapper and little blue fish
“I also saw a big school of fish, they were black.
“The water was clear like a window.
“We went into shark fin cave, but I didn’t really like it.
“But when I looked back it was so cool to see it glow bright blue.
“I also loved the micro molluscing.”
The EMR programme in the Tairāwhiti region is delivered by He Awa Ora, He Tai Ora Trust and most recently supported through the Wai Connection project and a partnership with Tairāwhiti Environment Centre.
