Beautiful Bark Bay is the location for the Enviro Leaders hui
For the last five years, Nelson and Tasman Enviroschools have partnered with Project Janzoon to give secondary students an immersive weekend hui in the Abel Tasman National Park.
Thanks to the Sea Shuttle, students are transported via water ferry to Bark Bay, leaving just a short walk with gear and food to a DoC hut. The aim of the weekend is to offer a reward for students who have contributed consistently to their school Envirogroup, provide an opportunity to network with like-minded ākonga and create cross-school connections, develop leadership skills, learn about monitoring in a national park, and spend time connecting with te taiao.
Macey Harper, student at Nelson College for Girls wrote an account of her experience at this year’s Bark Bay hui:
During May 3rd and 4th, on an incredibly special trip, I watched the morning light glisten upon the golden sand of Kaiteriteri and saw the sun set in the Able Tasman’s magical clouds. The Bark Bay Hui was an extremely special experience I loved participating in, and I can’t help but feel excitement and hope for those yet to experience these amazing Enviroschool camps. This year we were graced with beautiful sunny skies in Bark Bay where we engaged in fish trapping, pest detection and careers discussions.
Monitoring aquatic life in the national park
Immersed in nature
It always feels amazing to contribute to the revitalisation of the Able Tasman, while experiencing the beauty of the national park simultaneously. Being completely surrounded by what we fight for as Enviro Leaders always heartens me to continue my passionate fight for nature.
However, these activities are incomparable to campfire discussions. Inspiration sparks like the flames of the fire pit and there is an incomprehensible sense of comfort in the atmosphere as I am surrounded by so many students fighting for our environment. We discuss our environmental groups, comparing and contrasting the experiences we face in our respective schools. Despite the short length of this overnight camp, there is a guarantee of long-lasting impacts. New friends to laugh with, new group chats on our phones and new ideas and collaborations set into the works for the Nelson-Tasman environment groups. I have learned so much from these other students and I can’t wait to implement the idea of sub-groups into my committee.
Fun on the beach
“The Enviroschools camps are incredibly important to me and handfuls of other Enviro students as we are transported into a weekend of conservation, adventures and laughter. I am incredibly excited to watch this annual activity bring hope and joy to the next generation of Enviro Leaders.” Macey Harper, student.
Petra Cogger, student at Garin College also shared her experiences at this year’s Bark Bay hui:
It’s my second year of attending the Nelson Enviro Leaders Weekend Hui. It’s been an absolute highlight of my year. To bond with other Enviro Leaders has given me so much inspiration, and a lot of inter-school enviro club collaboration has come out of it. The activities we do are honestly so much fun – they are insightful, full of knowledge and adventure.
It was very rewarding to go away and see the outdoors that we were working to protect. To see people like Rick Field and Jen Thomas [Enviroschools Facilitators] appreciate the mahi we’ve done for the enviro clubs. One of my friends who went to the hui, who is involved in the enviro club but mostly because all her friends are – doesn’t really think climate change is a pressing issue or conservation matters. She got talking on the weekend to a DOC worker, and on the car ride home she was googling careers in DOC as it inspired her to work in conservation. That weekend definitely changed not only her perspective, but dream career.
“This weekend has given me so many skills to take back to my kura to make it more sustainable. It’s also kind of like a reward, everyone has worked so hard with all their initiatives and a lot of it goes unnoticed.” Petra Cogger, student