A recent tour of sites in Northland was held to showcase the consolidation and evolution of this successful regional approach to restoration of waterways. Enviroschools WaiRestoration is built on the effectiveness of a range of practical steps a community can engage in to make positive changes in their water catchments.
Sharing stories about awa restoration at Whangārei Boys’ High School.
Overlooking the restoration site on the awa at BestStart Pipiwai Kindy.
Collaborative relationships and a regional approach
WaiNursery at Dargaville Intermediate School.
WaiRestoration looks at people’s relationship with fresh water and how past and present practices have affected the mauri of waterways. In WaiRestoration, Enviroschools communities investigate and understand water – where it comes from, the diversity of life it supports, and its innate life-giving properties for well-being and hauora. Participants are encouraged to understand the choices we have to ensure water in all its forms is respected, and decisions about its use are sustainable. Strong partnerships between Enviroschools, farmers and landowners are developed, and collaboration with key organisations supports learning and actions on the land / whenua.
From small beginnings, this initiative to restore waterway health and biodiversity has grown to involve many Enviroschools, students, and members of the community in Northland, and more recently in other regions. It was first piloted in Northland, and then Enviroschools WaiRestoration Booklet was published in 2017 to support continued growth and development.
In 2018 a hui in Kerikeri launched this approach nation-wide. This supported the development around the motu (see story here) including WaiRestoration in Tairawhiti.
Sharing knowledge and ideas
In 2022 a discussion between two Enviroschools Regional Coordinators (Enviroschools Northland Regional Coordinator, Susan Karels, and the West Coast Regional Coordinator Zoe Watson) about the opportunities and realities of WaiRestoration, led to further interest to see what this now looked like on the ground in Northland. This piqued the interest of others and resulted in another tour being organised, addressing the question of how the different streams of WaiRestoration work in practice.
Keeping it real
The Enviroschools Northland Team were keen to show manuhiri the good, the bad and the ugly of Enviroschools WaiRestoration and to keep the tour real and relaxed so that was not a burden on all the hosts. Kaiako and tamariki talked about where they have come from, how it got to be this way and what they know now. Participants got to experience what others have done and to hear what their future plans are.
Participants were encouraged to think of their own Enviroschools situation or regional perspective and how the Northland model could be applied at their place, considering how it could work for them and what needed to be considered to engage people and gain momentum.
The success of WaiRestoration in Northland is partly due to the collaboration with a range of community experts who contribute to purposeful learning, building of skills and confidence with ākonga, as well as supporting the practical side of the likes of planting, growing, maintaining and pest control. The tour provided an insight into this, visiting teachers, tamariki/rangatahi, principals, a farmer, NRC Climate Action expert, and collaborators Kaipara Moana.
One of the messages that organisers wanted to share was that age and stage of people or the Enviroschool doesn’t matter, anyone can do WaiRestoration if they commit to it. The idea is that a group of ākonga will start with a WaiRestoration stream that feels right, easiest, that fills a community need/ is locally relevant. Knowledge development is through an experiential, hands-on, outside the classroom, out in the community, community members sharing expertise, tuākana – tēina approach.
“I liked the variety of places we went to, going into ECE, primary, secondary and to a farmers place was very interesting seeing the different perspectives and different ideas and ways they could do it.” – participant
Renew School teacher, Gwen Owen, explains their involvement in WaiRestoration.
After a welcome by the hosts, connecting time and a hearty breakfast, participants visited Renew School to see their Wai to Moana project, exploring the integration of waterway maintenance, monitoring and planting into the NZ Curriculum and NCEA system. At Whangārei Boys’ High School they reviewed the WaiFencing programme, which provides training opportunities in fencing skills, and project-based learning leading to work placements, career pathways and NCEA credits. At BestStart Pipiwai Kindy we saw how the community has come together to plant an urban waterway on council reserve and integrate Wai restoration into the Te Whāriki Early childhood curriculum.
Visitors were taken to the O’Shea Farm and saw where students from Kokopu School completed a WaiPlanting project and what this looks like 6 years after planting. At Tangiteroria School participants had the opportunity to ask questions of the teacher, go into the ngāhere to see what the forest ecosystem looks like, and imagine how the restoration could evolve in the future. At Dargaville Intermediate the visitors were given insights into how to run a nursery, to generate income and build community in the process.
“I was inspired by meeting everyone involved. The kids, a continuity that the programme potentially provides from kinder, primary, secondary and into viable work. Nurturing of lifelong kaitiaki.” – participant
Enviroschools Northland Facilitators check out the ngahere at Tangiteroria School.
Checking out the growth of the mānuka.
“Many thanks to the organisation. Thank you so much for providing many points of inspiration and consideration. I have already had a discussion with my fellow Enviro team, and we will be looking at improving our future plan.” – participant feedback
Tour guides at Tangiteroria School.
Future focus
The Northland team, on reflection of the success of the tour, felt that there was real benefit in running these events and that they could run more in different areas for our kaiako, tamariki/rangatahi and community members. We have a new wave of Enviroschools people who could benefit from knowing about WaiRestoration. The tour provided opportunities for the hosts to share, and others to learn about and be inspired by the local curriculum learning opportunities, healthy water outcomes and building connection with community and local ecosystems. The Northland team is now interested to see how the WaiRestoration model blossoms in other regions. Maybe there is a reciprocal tour in the future!
For further information about WaiRestoration or to purchase the Enviroschools WaiRestoration Booklet you can contact info@enviroschools.org.nz