Italian student delegation coming to Whanganui to learn about relationship with Whanganui River

A delegation of Italian high school students will arrive in Whanganui on Monday to learn about Te Awa Tupua legislation. Photo / NZME

A group of Italian high school students is coming to Whanganui after being inspired by the region's world-leading Te Awa Tupua legislation.

The 10 students and eight support people will arrive in Whanganui on Mondayas part of their international education programme.

The students chose to visit Whanganui after experiencing the Te Awa Tupua exhibition at the New Zealand Pavilion at World Expo 2022 in Dubai.

They were inspired by the unique nature of Te Awa Tupua and the reintroduction of a holistic system in which a river - or any natural resource - was afforded the same rights as a human being.

The students, who are from five Italian regions, will be representing and speaking on behalf of their own rivers.

Their aim for the visit is to be the face and voice of nature to create a dialogue between their respective rivers in Italy and the Whanganui River.

The students are being hosted and guided by Ngā Tāngata Tiaki and economic development agency Whanganui & Partners.

Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui principal adviser Gerrard Albert said Te Awa Tupua presented innumerable opportunities for the students to broaden their understanding of the connection between the environment and people.

"The Italian students have an extraordinary opportunity to learn from the iwi and hapū whose values are the foundation for Te Awa Tupua. They will feel, first-hand, the inseparability of the people and awa," he said.

Whanganui & Partners chief executive Hannah Middleton said the students specifically choosing Whanganui demonstrated the importance of Te Awa Tupua and the interest it attracted abroad.

"What is happening in Whanganui is significant far beyond our borders," Middleton said.

By embracing Te Awa Tupua, Middleton said Whanganui was not only recognising the importance of the legislation but demonstrating how communities benefited from the importance of indigenous knowledge.

"What we are seeing overseas, at an educational level, is an acknowledgement of indigenous values and the application or introduction of these principles to governance and decision-making."

The students' experience will begin on Tuesday morning with a pōwhiri at Kaiwhaiki Marae.

Following the pōwhiri, the students will participate in a korero to help them understand the relationship between hapū and the awa and the over-riding importance of all people recognising their connection to the natural world.

They will then go for a paddle on the river, guided by young iwi leaders, to experience the connection themselves.

The students' second day will begin with a presentation and interactive session led by Ngā Tāngata Tiaki to extend their understanding of Tupua te Kawa, the innate values of Te Awa Tupua.

The students will also visit the He Ora Awa exhibition at the Whanganui Regional Museum, NZ International Commercial Pilot Academy, and experience a kapa haka practice with Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tupoho and Te Kura o Kokohuia.

The students' visit will finish with a problem-solving 'hackathon' with student representatives from Whanganui secondary schools.