Nga Manu Nature Reserve skills programme for students proves successful

Kathryn Grant, left, and Emma Wimpory practice banding on a domestic Japanese quail. Photo / David Haxton

Ten Year 13 students from Paraparaumu College have completed an extensive practical conservation skills course at Waikanae's Ngā Manu Nature Reserve.

College biology teacher Annalisa Turner and the nature reserve staff had been in discussions about giving students some practical experience away from the classroom.

It led to the creation of the four-day Ngā Manu Vocational Skills Programme, also in partnership with Brian Ireland of Startled Gecko Ltd and generously supported by Waikanae Rotary.

Ngā Manu is considered the perfect place for this programme because of its 50-year commitment to conservation, its participation in captive animal and breed-for-release programmes and its accessibility and location in Kāpiti.

The students had to apply and state why they should be selected.

"A lot more students wanted to be on the course than we could cater for," said Ireland, who managed the course.

Setting up a bird mist net is Matu Booth, left, with Paraparaumu College students Tia Nash, front, Stella Murphy, Isabel Haynes, Mackenzie Taylor and Liam Pfeffer. Photo / David Haxton

He said the programme was "about experiential learning rather than just textbooks".

"What we also found was a lot of these students wanted to go to university or a career in conservation, although not necessarily knowing what that looked like.

"So this is almost like a bridging course to employment or tertiary education," he said.

"It's giving them a hands-on experience which they would otherwise not experience."

Some of the skills learnt included bird mist-netting, bird handling/banding, freshwater/reptile/invertebrate monitoring, predator control, botany section, and Rongoā Māori (a traditional healing system) as well as a Māori perspective on conservation.

Leading practitioners in their fields worked alongside Ngā Manu staff and volunteers to deliver the modules.

"We've had seven individuals, each with a lot of expertise, providing the tutelage," Ireland said.

"It was important to have people that are experts in their field to pass on that true experience rather than just talk about it."

Ireland summed up the four days: "It has been brilliant."

And it had been so successful that "we want to make this an ongoing programme and hopefully expand it to other colleges".

"We're very thankful to the Rotary club for funding this."