In 2025, kura, ākonga and kaiako in Wellington City have been able to connect with their immediate local environment, thanks to a series of nature connection events. Enviroschools Community Facilitators Chloe Bisley-Wright and Chandra Littlewood have taken inspiration from the annual Ōtari nature connect and made new offerings that are local.
On Wellington’s south coast, te awa o Ōwhiro is acknowledged in pepeha of both Berhampore and Ōwhiro Bay Schools. Enviroschools brought both schools together for a day of connecting, learning and inspiring action.
A warm welcome through mihi whakatau where Berhampore gifted a kōwhai, and rēwena bread was shared between all from Little Bread Loaf, a local Māori owned bakery. Berhampore ākonga felt right at home after this exclaiming:
“Ōwhiro is such an awesome school, I want to come here more often”.
Ākonga then moved through four guided activities:
1. Looking after te taiao
Local Wellington City Council (WCC) ranger Tom Mayo and Predator Free Community Outreach Officer David Lewis, guided a planting activity, making connections between planting rākau that would become shade to enhance stream health and also habitats and kai for creatures that call this place home. They also helped to plant the gifted kōwhai tree too.
Having fun planting rākau
Planting the gifted Kōwhai tree
This connection with WCC ranger was appreciated.
“Tom we need to have you in more often, let’s talk” – Cilla Scott, Tūmuaki Ōwhiro Bay School
2. Nature connection
An Enviroschools team of Claire Reddish, Chandra Littlewood and Ropata Rona facilitated a nature connection workshop ‘Ko au te Taiao, ko Taiao te au’, which encouraged participants to slow down and take the time to connect with taiao. Students felt nourished and asked if they could return to their sit spot and observe the tohu around them again.
“I felt like I could fly”
“I could feel the wind in my hair”
“I could hear the wind blowing through the leaves”
“I could hear the wind in the flax bush”
“I felt like I was home, lying on my lawn”
“The sound of the river made me feel like I was a feather, being carried by the water”
“I felt safe and loved being here” – Student reflections from Berhampore School
Students enjoying connecting with nature
Students gain a deeper understanding and connection to their local awa
“It took me back to when I was a child, smelling mud and hearing running water. It made me think of things I could do to make it better (the awa)” – Jamie Montgomery-Mansfield, Kaiako Berhampore School
Students, whānau, kaiako came away nourished and inspired to take care of this important water source with one child’s whānau returning to clean the stream afterwards.
3. The path water travels to get to our awa, and the worlds within
Greater Wellington catchment team member Mikaila Ceelen, Enviroschools facilitator Chloe Bisley-Wright and Victoria University Student Jack Hitchcox engaged ākonga in learning about whaitua (catchment) and tuna migration. The experiential learning included being a tuna and navigating their way from the moana up through a culverted awa to complete their lifecycle. Mātauranga Māori Ikawae Taura (fish ladders) made from tī kōuka leaves are woven into the activity. They are a concept being trialled by Kāpiti hāpū, Te Atīawa Kī Whakarongotai who are exploring alternatives to current plastic fish ladders. The ever-popular catchment model was also used to demonstrate the path that water takes after falling onto hills.
Ākonga learning about whaitua and tuna migration
4. If you were an eel, how would you feel?
The fourth workshop was facilitated by local artist Kedron Parker, her whānau and Martin Payne, Friends of Ōwhiro Bay Stream. They ran an interactive educational titled: “If you were an eel, how would you feel?”. They utilised eel sock puppets as an engagement tool to talk about plastic waste in waterways and the impact of this on tuna. In small groups the students then used the puppets to talk about what eels like (swimming, eating) and what they don’t like (trash in the stream, etc).
Students used the puppets to talk about the eels
Using sock puppets to tell the story
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