Kāhu ki Rotorua: Blending mātauranga Māori and science

Room Four Tamariki at Kaitao Intermediate are passionate about their environmental kaupapa. Photo / Supplied

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See below for English translation

Tino kaingakau te rangatahi ki tenei mahi

E whakaihiihi tangata nei tā te kaupapa a Tūkohu Ngāwhā Science and Design Fair e kawea ana e Te Arawa Lakes Trust's ki a eke ai te rangatahi ki te whakaranu i tō te ao mātauranga me te mātauranga o te ao hou ki a kotahi e māmā ake ai ngā taumahatanga o te taiao.

Ko te whakarauora i te aitanga a Tānemahuta tae atu ki te pēhi i ngā tini rihariha, whaihoki he kimi huarahi e kounga ai ngā tini nōhanga ngārara. Hai te whakakitenga nei ka tīrama ai te wehi, te mātauranga, te mōhiotanga, te hihikotanga a Pūtaiao nei a ngā tauira o te kura. Mai i te tau e rima tae ki te tau kotahi tekau mā toru, puta noa i te rohe o Ngai Te Arawa.

He waka hourua tēnei mahi e whakakōtahi ai a Te Arawa Lakes Trust me te Kaunihera o te Moana o Toitehuatahi.

E ai ki te whakapae he kaupapa tēnei kāore anō kia kitea mai e mātai pū ana ki ngā take e whakapōrearea nei i tō tātou taiao, e ai ki a tātou te Māori kanohi.

E rima ngā wāhanga o te whakakitenga nei. Ka timata a te toru tekau o Pīpiri tae atu ki te rua o Hūrae.

Ko ngā wāhanga motuhake nei ko te kounga o te wai, ko te whakahaumarutanga, ko te matahuhua, te mātauranga Māori me te oranga tonutanga o te taiao. E ai ki te rangatira whakahaere o ngā roto moana o Te Arawa ki a William Anaru, kai te whakakōtahi mai ngā puna mātauranga e rua o te ao nei e te rangatahi, ko te mātauranga Pākehā me te mātauranga Māori hai arahi i ngā whakatau e kaha ake ai te taiao.

"Hīkaka kau ngā puku o te hunga rangatahi kia tū rātou hai manu taiko mā te taiao, ā, kai te tino kitea tēnā kaha i a rātou mahi".

"Ko te matawhānuitanga mō Te Tūkohu Ngāwhā kia haria atu ai tēnei kaupapa ki rohe kē atu ki te whakakōrero i ngā rangatira kia kite hoki ai rātou mē pēwhea rā te whakauru pū i te mātauranga Māori ki a whakawhanake ai te taiao".

Hai tā Anaru e pūare ana te whakakitenga ki te hāpori ki a whakatata mai rātou ki te mātauranga o te iwi taketake , ā, me te pūtaiao Pākehā, ka rua kia kite kau hoki te hāpori i te nohotahitanga o ēnei puna e rua ki a kotahi mai. He painga hoki tēnei kaupapa hai whakakōrero i te hunga rangatahi mō te taiao te take nā te mea tāria te wā ka tū mai ko rātou te hunga tiaki i te mauri ora o te ao".

Hai tā Greg Corbett, te pou whakahaere haumaru mō te taiao mā Te Kaunihera o Te Moana o Toitehuatahi, ka nui te hāngaitanga o tēnei kaupapa ki ngā whainga-ā-hāpori i whakaritea e te kaunihaera-ā-rohe, tēnā he taiao ora; ko te mana o te wai; tuatoru ko te whainga; kia haumaru,kia pakari te hāpori, ko te mea whakamutunga ko Toitū te rohe.

"Kai te kamunga ringaringa o te rangatahi te pae tawhiti o te taiao nā reira tēnei kaupapa hai whakatenatena i te hunga rangatahi ki a pakeke ngā whakaaro kia whai māramatanga ai e rātou ki te nanao atu ki ngā paiaka e rua o te puna mātauranga, ko te taiao te take".

Ki te kura takawaenga o Kaitao kai te whakatakoto kia kotahi tekau mā toru ngā whakaurunga e te rūma wha. Kua hau atu te karaehe katoa ki tēnei kaupapa hai tō rātou pouako ki a Whaea Dasha Howell-Emery." Ia rā he whakamātautau hou e hāngai ana ki te taiao me te whakawhanake i tētehi wāhanga motuhake o te taiao kia pai ai, engari rā, ka oti ana te whakakitenga ehara i te mea ka mutu ngā mahi, kāore, ka whāia tonutia ngā painga".

"Tētehi anō o ngā painga kua hua mai ko te whakaaro whānui me pēhwhea e kaha ake ai te whakatakoto me te whakahau i ngā whakamātautau, ko tētehi mea itiiti nei, kua tāhuri noa mātou ki te pepa hangarua hai pepa whakaatuatu i ngā mahi". Hāunga ngā mahi o roto o te karaehe, kua huri kē ngā whakaaro ki te māra. Kai reira ngā tauira e tukituki whenua ana.

"E tika ana kia noho ki te waerenga kāore he wāhi i tua atu o te taiao, e kori ana te whenua, e whakawhanake ana te taiao,ā , kai te kītea hoki e mātou ngā hua o te pēhi ngārara – kāore e ārikarika ngā mihi ki tēnei kaupapa, pono tūturu ka nui tō mātou whakamihi te karaehe o rūma whā ki te whakakitenga nei, ko te oranga o te taiao, kai whea mai!".

Ka tū tēnei whakakitenga rangatira ki Motion Entertainment e pūare ana ki te hāpori whānui, nau mai e te tini, nau mai e te mano. Ka tū te wāhanga tuku taonga ā te ahiahi o te Paraire.

Te Arawa Lakes Trust's inaugural Te Tūkohu Ngāwhā Science and Design Fair is inspiring rangatahi to blend mātauranga Māori and Western science to tackle some of the pressing environmental issues that Aotearoa faces.

From restoring native species, through to pest control and measuring and creating habitats to improve biodiversity, the fair will showcase the creativity, scientific research and experimentation of Year 5 to 13 tamariki and rangatahi from across the Te Arawa rohe.

A joint kaupapa between Te Arawa Lakes Trust and Bay of Plenty Regional Council, the mātauranga Māori science fair is believed to be the first of its kind, specifically targeting environmental issues through a te ao Māori lens.

Running from June 30 to July 2, the fair has five categories — water quality, biosecurity, biodiversity, mātauranga Māori, and sustainability.

Te Arawa Lakes Trust Operations Manager – Biosecurity and Jobs for Nature, William Anaru, says rangatahi are using the science fair to explore ways to combine mātauranga Māori and western science to influence decisions and future management within te taiao.

"Our Te Arawa rangatahi are so enthusiastic and passionate about being kaitiaki for the environment and that has really shone through in their mahi.

"Our vision for Te Tūkohu Ngāwhā Science and Design Fair is to bring it to other rohe and encourage more kōrero about how we can use our knowledge as Māori to improve te taiao around us."

Mr Anaru says the fair will be open to the public, providing a unique opportunity for the community to see mātauranga Māori and western science as different, but equal, types of knowledge.

"It also gives rangatahi a chance to start having conversations with each other about the state of te taiao and how they see themselves managing it in the future. They will be our decision makers and ones who drive change."

Bay of Plenty Regional Council Biosecurity Manager, Greg Corbett, says the collaboration perfectly aligns with the Regional Council's four community outcomes – He taiao ora (A healthy environment); Te mana o te wai (Freshwater for Life); Kia haumaru, kia pakari te hapori (Safe and resilient communities) and Toitū te rohe (A vibrant region).

"The future health of the region is in the hands of these rangatahi, so challenging them to think holistically about how to tackle the environmental issues of today by combining mātauranga Māori and Western science is something we fully support."

Room Four tamariki from Kaitao Intermediate School are submitting 13 entries in this year's event.

Whaea Dasha Howell-Emery says the whole class has embraced the kaupapa, learning new things about the environment around them, every day.

"We have focused on experiments that are applicable to our everyday lives, so even after the fair, we can continue the kaupapa.

"We have also approached the event with a fully-sustainable way of thinking, right down to using recycled cardboard for our displays."
Whaea Howell-Emery says the tamariki are already applying their knowledge to the ongoing restoration of the school's garden.

"The garden is a space for us to learn in nature, watch biodiversity grow and see the effects of pest control.

"This science fair is an awesome kaupapa that we want to support as Room Four are passionate about the taiao."

Te Tūkohu Ngāwhā Science and Design Fair will be held at Motion Entertainment and will be open to the public.

The prizegiving will be held on Friday evening.