Pupils get their hands wet at expo

Water Expo 2106, measuring water flows Amy from BOPRC calculates the amount of water in an area with Whakarewarewa students

More than 200 primary students from Rotorua and around the Bay of Plenty attended the Hands on Water Expo at Redwood Valley Farm near Paengaroa last week.

It was hosted by Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Community Engagement team.

The two-day expo gave pupils opportunities to learn about freshwater ecosystems, processes and conservation in a hands-on manner.

"This is a great way for students in our region to be learning about the role they have in ensuring we manage our water resources sustainably as well as increasing their knowledge of how the water is monitored and used, " said general manager strategy and science Fiona McTavish.

"The feedback council staff have already had has been positive and is encouraging especially as water quality and quantity are a community outcome."

Bay of Plenty Regional Council partnered with Department of Conservation, Western Bay of Plenty Council, Tauranga City Council, and Rotorua Lakes Council as well as Enviroschools to coordinate the event.

This ensured there was a broad range of activities for students to participate in, run by experts in the field. Measuring water clarity and flow, Matauranga Maori, urban water management, riparian planting, freshwater monitoring and exploring where water goes were all features of the expo. Children were able to roll their sleeves up and really enjoy a hands-on water experience.

With the regional council providing bus transport for all attending schools at no cost, each participating school brought up to 10 students with a teacher. Due to popular demand this year, 10 schools participated each day.

The expo had restrictions on the number that can attend at any one time to maintain the biodiversity of the environment that the expo is held in.