Growing the next generation of kauri guardians
Dr Monica Gerth from Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Biological Sciences recently received funding from the Unlocking Curious Minds fund for her mobile classroom initiative to help educate New Zealand children about kauri dieback disease and the importance of kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the environment).
This project involves a cross-disciplinary team including University academics Associate Professor Wayne Patrick (also from Victoria University of Wellington), Dr Amanda Black from Lincoln University, and Associate Professor Cate Macinnis-Ng from the University of Auckland; arts leaders Ariane Craig-Smith and Kelly Kahukiwa;and local engagement leaders Chris Pairama, Tekaurinui Parata, Waitangi Wood and Taoho Patuawa. Together, their goal is to help children and their whanau become the next generation of kaitiaki (guardians) of the forests by using science, mātauranga Māori, and the arts to educate these children about kauri and the dangers they face.
“My colleagues and I are all working to combat kauri dieback through our work,” Dr Gerth says. “We have seen how both mātauranga Māori and molecular science can be used to combat this serious problem, and through our work with iwi we have become aware of the importance of ‘kauri ora, mauri ora’ – the health of the forest is connected to the wellbeing of the people. We want to use our Unlocking Curious Minds funding to share this knowledge with other New Zealanders and show how science, arts, and mātauranga Māori can all work together to solve problems.”
Dr Gerth and her colleagues plan to develop a travelling classroom called Te Kura o te Kauri (the School of the Kauri) using the previously developed ‘Lab in a Box’ travelling lab as the base. Their classroom will travel around the Auckland and Northland areas (where kauri dieback is the biggest threat) and focus on educating children in Years 5-8. The main goals of the classroom, Dr Gerth says, are to encourage kaitiakitanga of our forests, give hands-on experience with both western and mātauranga Māori approaches to the science of a healthy forest, and engage the participants’ senses through art, sound, and virtual reality technology. They also plan to develop a website and social media presence to accompany the travelling classroom.
The classroom will spend around 20 days in Te Tai Tokerau (north of Auckland), engaging with different schools in the area. As well as giving children access to the classroom, the team will also organise public lectures at local marae and museums to help engage the children’s whanau and other adults in the area to grow interest in science and the environment in all age groups.
“This is the first step in a longer journey to educate and inspire multiple generations of New Zealanders to engage with, treasure, and protect their environment,” Dr Gerth says.
The team decided to target Auckland and Northland with their classroom because these areas are most affected by kauri dieback, but also because many schools in this area do not have access to high level science teaching. There is also a demand from communities in this area for knowledge on how to save their forests and help prevent kauri dieback disease, Dr Gerth says.
“Kauri dieback is a serious issue,” Dr Gerth says. “The loss of kauri means the loss of sacred living ancestors for Māori, as well as an important part of New Zealand’s ecosystems.”
Unlocking Curious Minds grants are funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment and are designed to help more New Zealanders engage with science and technology, especially those New Zealanders who cannot easily access science and technology education.