MTSW has teamed up with Ruamāhanga Farm Foundation to connect Wairarapa tamariki to water. Jane and Rod from RFF had a vision of taking tamariki on a journey to explore different aspects of wai through a range of mediums including science, biodiversity, story-telling, planting, and art. The project has grown and has now become a partnership with te taiao and the local community.
Over the past 6 months tauira from Martinborough and Kahutara schools have been exploring their local spaces and learning to become kaitiaki. On each trip the day is opened with some stillness on the bank above the river. This brings tranquillity to the students and always opens the opportunity for nature to come to them. On one particular day we were lucky enough to be joined by Ngatu Pare (Wrybill) and Pūkeko on the bank of the Ruamāhanga.
With Martinborough and Kahutara Schools Mountains to Sea have facilitated five sessions exploring the Ruamāhanga River, an oxbow wetland, and Wairio Wetland. Tamariki got to explore the water quality and the biodiversity of the awa, including seeing Kōkopatuna (long fin eels) and kākahi. Throughout all of the sessions there has been a thread of connection, building knowledge of how everything in our environment is connected and how the students can connect to te taiao. Hear the Kahutara Kaitiaki read their writing about the Moana here.
After each field session, Rod and Jane join the tauira back in school for a creative literacy session. Jane and Rod have done incredible work with the students to help them expand their knowledge and understanding through poems, haiku, letters to the river, and much more.
Check out this beautiful letter Flynn wrote about his awa!
Kia ora Wai,
Thank you for growing all these beautiful trees and making us live a good life. I love how you flow and sparkle all day, every day and how you are home to all the amazing fish. I also like that you can go up into the sky and come down again.
Aroha Flynn Boyle
The children have received a lot from te taiao in their sessions so it was just as important for them to give back. They have spent sessions planting in wetlands, QEII blocks, and a new public walkway along the river bank.
A special evening was curated for the students to share with their whānau what they have learnt on their journey. Almost 50 whānau members joined us at the farm to explore the new public walkway the children have planted, hear the voices of the tauira as they performed their writing, explored te taiao by night, made clay seed bombs, and shared kai. It was an incredible experience to see the connection of the whānau to this space through the tauira and to see how far the tauira have come on this journey over the past 6 months.
Many of the parents of the tauira, and the community that have provided wrap-around support are now more connected to the Ruamāhang through the students. This connection has led to discussions of forming a catchment group. This project has been an incredible example of when they are given the chance, young people can lead the way in transforming how the community connects with and protects te taiao.
If you want to learn more about this project and see some of the writing from students check out the Ruamāhanga Farm Literacy page. The project has also been featured by Sally Round on Radio New Zealand, check out the episodes here.
We would like to extend a massive thank you to Jane and Rod who brought together so much of the community to wrap the tauira in support and opportunities to explore. A massive mihi to all those that have also collaborated on this project, Kahutara School, Martinborough School, Green Jersey Cycles, Ruamāhanga Restoration Trust, QEII National Trust, Sam Ludden, Jenny Keate, and the whānau that have supported on trips.
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