Italian students feel greater connection to nature after learning about Whanganui's Te Awa Tupua legislation

Italian high school students were Matilde Milan (left), Matteo Braia, Naturelle Margutti, Luca Zaccononi and Linda Cozzarolo were in Whanganui. Photo / Bevan Conley

A group of Italian high school students said they now feel more connected to nature after coming to Whanganui to learn about the region's unique Te Awa Tupua legislation.

The delegation of 10 students and eight support people arrived in Whanganui this week as part of an international education programme after experiencing the Te Awa Tupua exhibition at the New Zealand Pavilion at World Expo 2020 in Dubai.

The students travelled from five Italian regions each representing and speaking on behalf of their own rivers with their aim to be a face and voice of nature and to create a dialogue between their respective rivers in Italy and the Whanganui River.

Luca Zacconi said he had gained a better connection with nature from the trip and their learning about Te Awa Tupua, which he called enlightening.

"In Italy these kinds of things are surreal, something we have never even taken into account, so it's very important for us to learn these kinds of cultural differences," he said.

Linda Cozzarolo said the trip had left her feeling more connected to nature, and the experience of canoeing on the Awa had left her feeling spiritually connected to it.

Matilde Milan said Whanganui's treatment of the river made her more aware of issues happening currently in her homeland.

"Being here has been a huge contrast to Italy because we and all of Europe are experiencing a huge drought," she said.

The students felt their connection grow when they went canoeing on the Whanganui River with young Iwi leaders, which many of them described as a spiritual experience.

The trip was organised by Whanganui & Partners and Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui. Whanganui & Partners Hannah Middleton chief executive said the students' interest in Te Awa Tupua was different to any other student or tourist group they had hosted before.

"They were actually really emotional when they went on the river, they felt really connected," she said.

She said after over two years of no international students coming to the city, this was an awesome way to start things up again.