Rangatahi voice their connections at Te Kōawa Lodge
Te Waiau Mahika Kai Trust won the Environmental Action in Biodiversity and Biosecurity Award at the 2023 Environment Southland Community Awards.
The Trust was established in 1997 to promote and restore mahika kai resources in the Waiau catchment and it conducts research and projects for the benefit of Ngāi Tahu.
Learning about pest control and the technologies involved was really cool, Janet Wei says.
Sofia Campbell-Wall says learning the back story of the site and its significance as a kai gathering area was fantastic.
The experience inspired the ākonga (students) to think deeply about their place in the world and how their knowledge, experiences and advocacy can help nurture Papatūānuku (earth).
When cleaning up the camp site, Cora says she had a greater appreciation for the need to be a tidy Kiwi.
From here, the group are keen to further explore Murihiku Southland and look at ways to help other rangatahi grow their knowledge of the environment. A school trail teaching people about native species was one idea suggested.
“We look forward to seeing how rangatahi will transfer this knowledge back to their own projects with their school and wider community,” Josh says.
