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Our panel set out with a bold and broad scope - to find ways to reduce the size of the plastic shadow that is cast by modern life. While we initially tried to reduce this scope, we ended up realising that plastic is everywhere and we must approach it from all angles simultaneously. Tackling the problem of plastic waste needs a systems change, a collection of adjustments - some large, some small - across all aspects of society. To begin, we painted ourselves a vision of what the future could look like if we make these changes. We present a vision that sets the stage for what follows. Aotearoa New Zealand can rethink how we use plastic, but the evidence-base to support these decisions in a system-wide way is lacking. In order to support evidence-informed decisions, we have collated and synthesised information and expert opinion to provide government with a rigorous system-wide overview of plastic in 2019, in the context of international best practice.

Aotearoa New Zealand can rethink how we use plastic, but the evidence base to support these decisions in a system-wide way is lacking

Rethinking Plastics aims to contribute to a society-wide change of heart and practice. Clear national goals, readily available information for shoppers and household use, aligned infrastructure and a few well-targeted rule changes could achieve significant, durable improvements while researchers and innovative businesses create new materials and business models. We seek to provide a trusted source of information for the public on the state of plastic use and a pathway forward for Aotearoa New Zealand. The global spotlight is on plastics and there is a groundswell of activity to build on. We are at a pivotal point where we can rethink how we use plastics to reduce the negative impacts while retaining its many benefits. Now is the time to seize this opportunity.

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The 'Rethinking plastics' report from the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor outlines a vision for Aotearoa New Zealand in 2030 and a plan for how to get there. Read our recommendations on plastic use, plastic pollution, recycling and transforming our waste infrastructure. Discover our resource portal and case studies for waste minimisation and plastic alternatives.

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Keep New Zealand Beautiful - Environmental volunteer work

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We mobilise over 70,000 volunteers every year - cleaning up beaches, picking up litter, removing graffiti, planting trees and much more. We also work in schools teaching our kids to be tidy Kiwis and helping to protect our beautiful country for future generations. We can't do this without your support.

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Please let me know if you know any good art resources - It would be great to have some fun follow-up activities in this section.

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Please let me know if you know any Maori & Pasifika resources - I would love to expand this section!

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CVNZ Nursery and Coastal Restoration Project - tree planting opportunities

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In 2008 the Department of Conservation, Conservation Volunteers New Zealand, and the Rio Tinto group entered into a Partnering Agreement to support the restoration of a strip of 80 ha of coastal land just south of Punakaiki village. The land was predominantly farm-land, but has special ecological significance due to its proximity to the sole breeding colony of the Westland Petrel. At the time of the partnering agreement, the land was owned by Rio Tinto Ltd, and has since been gifted to the Department of Conservation, with subsequent gazetting as a Nature Reserve.

The Punakaiki Coastal Restoration Project Site

The Partnering Agreement vision for the Westland Ilmenite land at Punakaiki is for the development of an ecological corridor that spans from the mountains to sea, reflecting the rich biodiversity of the area that includes the only nesting ground of the vulnerable Westland Petrel, the natural habitat of the Blue Penguin and the sand plain forests bearing Nikau Palms and Rata trees many hundreds of years old. For visitors to the area, the entrance to Punakaiki will be marked by a transition from open pasture to dense forest. This transition reflects the community aspirations for the area, that Punakaiki is a mainland island, rich in conservation history with a community who actively care for the site.
In October 2010, the site was officially declared a Nature Reserve by the Minister of Conservation, the Hon. Kate Wilkinson and, in consultation with local iwi, named Te Ara Tāiko Nature Reserve. From the start of the project, CVNZ have been responsible for the management and implementation of the restoration activities on site, as well as the management of the many hundreds of volunteers who have participated and contributed to the project.
A key to the success of the project has been CVNZ's capacity to deliver its responsibilities - primarily delivery of the restoration outcomes through utilising the capacities of volunteers. In addition to planting, weed control and seed collection, CVNZ has established an efficient site-nursery that now grows all the plant stock for the project. Perhaps most critically, given the significance Rio Tinto and the project partners place on safety, CVNZ has tried and tested health and safety processes coupled with a strong safety culture that ensures volunteers and staff are equally respected and looked after.

Part of CVNZ's nursery at the Punaiaki Coastal Restoration Project (PCRP)

Through this project, Conservation Volunteers has made a significant contribution to the community and conservation along the West Coast, including enhancing the protection of the Westland Petrel. The extension of the partnership to include Lincoln University is also contributing to overall knowledge and research about ecological restoration with a focus on developing best practice models. The site is now used as a teaching location for university students studying ecology, tourism, landscape and soils. The University also intends to use the site as an undergraduate practicum location and develop university recognition and accreditation for volunteers and employees engaged in the PCRP.

CVNZ's tree planting programme in action at the PCRP

For Rio Tinto, the site has provided something of a flagship partnership in the way that it has facilitated community (CVNZ), government agency (DOC), business (Rio) and now tertiary sector (Lincoln University) to work together to deliver multiple benefits. To this extent, Rio Tinto was proud to showcase the project at the 2013 Mines Closure Conference at Eden in the UK.

Since the PCRP began, it has achieved 6,752 volunteer days and planted 129,444 trees. It is the shared vision of all partners to ensure a sustainable future for Te Ara Tāiko Nature Reserve.

Find out more about becoming a partner.

Get Involved

Would you like to support our work on the Punakaiki Coastal Restoration project? Donate to support our work or find out how to volunteer on our projects.

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In 2008 the Department of Conservation, Conservation Volunteers New Zealand, and the Rio Tinto group entered into a Partnering Agreement to support the restoration of a strip of 80 ha of coastal land just south of Punakaiki village. The land was predominantly farm-land, but has special ecological significance due to its proximity to the sole breeding colony of the Westland Petrel.

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Planning guide for rocky shore and estuary trips

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An enormous floating device designed by Dutch scientists for the non-profit Ocean Cleanup successfully captured and removed plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the company announced Wednesday, as CNN reported.

Ocean Cleanup has been hard at work on creating a device to attack the plastic waste crisis for seven years, by creating a device that captures plastic in its fold like a giant arm, according to Business Insider. The company announced that it was able to capture and hold debris ranging from large cartons, crates and abandoned fishing gear - or "ghosts nets," which are a scourge to marine life - to microplastics that are as small as one millimeter, according to an Ocean Cleanup press release.

"Today, I am very proud to share with you that we are now catching plastics," Ocean Cleanup founder and CEO Boyan Slat said at a news conference in Rotterdam, as CNN reported.

The system's success in capturing microplastics came as a welcome surprise since microplastics tend to fall to the ocean floor rather than float on the surface, according to the press release. Since microplasitcs tend to sink, Ocean Cleanup focused on large pieces of plastic.

Slat posted a picture on Twitter of collected debris along side a forsaken wheel.

"Our ocean cleanup system is now finally catching plastic, from one-ton ghost nets to tiny microplastics! Also, anyone missing a wheel?" Slat wrote.

The Ocean Cleanup device is a U-shaped barrier that drops a net below the surface. As the current moves, the net traps faster moving objects that float into it. Fish, however, are able to swim beneath it, according to CNN.

Slat first presented the concept of a giant barrier near the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in a TEDx talk when he was 18 years old. But the project has been slowed by some spectacular failures that Slat and his team learned from. Last year, a design flaw stopped the barrier from holding onto the plastic it captured and a 59-foot section of the barrier disconnected from the device. In its next attempt, the design team noticed that plastic was floating over the top of a cork line that was supposed to stabilize the system, as Business Insider reported.

The team also noticed that the barrier, known as System 001/B was picking up speed from the ocean currents that outpaced the plastic litter. Therefore, after some rethinking and some upgrades, the device was slowed down by a parachute-anchor. That allows faster moving plastic to float into the barrier. After the parachute-anchor was on, the team fixed the corkline so very little plastic was able to pass over the top of the barrier, according to Ocean Cleanup's press release.

"Our team has remained steadfast in its determination to solve immense technical challenges to arrive at this point," said Slat in the statement. "Though we still have much more work to do, I am eternally grateful for the team's commitment and dedication to the mission and look forward to continuing to the next phase of development."

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is twice the size of Texas, is a swath of plastic debris brought together by the ocean currents and kept in formation by a whirlpool of currents, as The Guardian reported. Ocean Cleanup now wants to scale up the project so it can hold plastic for a year before collection is necessary. It has the goal of removing half of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The Ocean Cleanup said in its press release that it will now start on its next iteration, System 002, a full-scale cleanup device that will endure rough ocean conditions and retain the collected plastic for long periods of time between collections. Once the plastic is collected, it will be returned to land and processed for recycling.

Related Articles Around the Web

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Ocean Cleaning Device Succeeds in Removing Plastic for the First Time

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An enormous floating device designed by Dutch scientists for the non-profit Ocean Cleanup successfully captured and removed plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

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Spirit of Adventure Sailing Trip

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Clean beaches

A significant feature of our 10 Day Development Programme looks at environmental responsibility. This is why trainees on every voyage head to shore to take part in a beach clean-up. Here are a few images of their efforts:

Treasure Islands Campaign

The 'Treasure Islands' campaign is a joint initiative between the Department of Conservation and the Auckland Council to help protect conservation islands in the Hauraki Gulf. Spirit of New Zealand is proud to be a part of this initiative. You can help keep our Hauraki Gulf islands pest free by following these rules.

Many of our voyages out of Auckland include visits to islands around the Hauraki Gulf. With some simple procedures now put in place on board, we ask participants joining the ship to take part in this worthwhile initiative.
We are currently in the process of securing a 'Pest-Free Warrant', but we need your help.

What you need to do:

check your bags and gear for rats, mice, Argentine ants, rainbow skinks, soils and seeds (Rats can squeeze through a 12mm gap, and mice through a 7mm gap!)

check your bedding and pillow thoroughly for stowaways (Mice, insect pests and the invasive rainbow skink could hide in your bag)

put sleeping bags into a zipped bag or pack (no open bags allowed)

clean dirty gear especially footwear, removing soil and seeds (weed seeds cling to clothing and shoes, and may carry unwanted plant diseases).

For more info, you can visit the Treasure Islands Website ›

Back to top

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Environment Work * Spirit of Adventure Trust

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A significant feature of our 10 Day Development Programme looks at environmental responsibility. This is why trainees on every voyage head to shore to take part in a beach clean-up. Here are a few images of their efforts: The 'Treasure Islands' campaign is a joint initiative between the Department of Conservation and the Auckland Council to help protect conservation islands in the Hauraki Gulf.

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Making products from plastic waste

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These countries are getting creative with plastic waste

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The world needs to end its dependency on plastic. In facing this challenge, developed countries can learn from innovations in the less-developed world.

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National Geographic Article about reducing plastic

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This story is part of Planet or Plastic?-our multiyear effort to raise awareness about the global plastic waste crisis. Learn what you can do to reduce your own single-use plastics, and take your pledge.

Read this story and more in the June 2018 issue of National Geographic magazine.

In a world that can seem overwhelmed by potentially eternal plastic waste, are biodegradables the ultimate solution? Probably not. But it's complicated. The industry is still debating what "biodegradable" actually means. And some plastics made of fossil fuels will biodegrade, while some plant-based "bioplastics" won't.

Biodegradable plastics have been around since the late 1980s. They initially were marketed with the implied promise that they'd somehow disappear once they were disposed of, just as leaves on the forest floor are decomposed by fungi and soil microbes. It hasn't quite worked out that way.

Biodegradables don't live up to their promise, for example, in the dark, oxygen-free environment of a commercial landfill or in the cool waters of the ocean, if they should end up there. You can't throw them in your backyard compost either. To break down, they require the 130-degree heat of an industrial composter. Many industrial composters accept only plastics that meet certain standards, ensuring they will leave no fragments behind that can harm the environment or human health. And if you throw some biodegradables in with recyclables, you might ruin the latter, creating a mix that can no longer be relied on to make durable new plastic.

In 2015 the United Nations Environment Programme wrote off biodegradables as an unrealistic solution that will neither reduce the amount of plastic flowing into the oceans nor prevent potential chemical or physical harm to marine life. It concluded that the label "biodegradable" may actually encourage littering.

Some engineers are looking for ways around these obstacles. Jenna Jambeck and her colleagues at the University of Georgia's New Materials Institute are using polymers synthesized by microbes to make packaging they hope will compost readily and biodegrade in the ocean. Corn chip bags are their first target.

Polymateria, a British firm, is taking a different approach, developing chemical additives to help biodegrade any plastic-bio based or synthetic-more quickly. The firm aims to be the "Tesla" of biodegradable plastics; CEO Niall Dunne says the goal is a product that will "harmonize plastics with the biosphere."

It's a tall order. Even the best biodegradable product won't magically disappear. A plastic container robust enough to carry a gallon of milk can't decompose like paper. A flowerpot, one of Polymateria's experimental products, could take up to two years to dissolve if tossed in a ditch, Dunne concedes. Biodegradables, some critics say, don't address the fundamental problem: our throwaway culture.

"What is it that we are promoting?" asks Ramani Narayan, a Michigan State University chemical engineering professor. "Throw it away, and eventually it will go away?" The more responsible approach, he says, is a "circular economy" model, in which everything is reused or recycled and "any 'leakage' into the environment, whether biodegradable or not, is not acceptable."

Norway has shown how far the recycling of plastic bottles-a big part of beach trash-can go. It now recovers 97 percent of them. Its trick: deposits as high as 2.5 kroner (32 cents) and machines, found at most supermarkets, that ingest bottles and spit out refunds.

But recycling can go only so far. Part of the solution, many say, must be to use less disposable plastic in the first place. The "zero waste" movement, which dates to the mid-1990s, is gaining favor. Hundreds of communities worldwide are embracing it-including the downtrodden industrial town of Roubaix, France, where the success of a citizens' campaign shows that zero waste is more than an affectation of wealthy liberals.

On the contrary, the idea seems to have a cross-cutting, almost spiritual appeal. In the U.K., the Church of England asked its flock to give up plastic packaging and disposables for Lent this year. Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May called for supermarkets to set up plastic-free aisles, where food is sold in bulk. She's also considering a tax on single-use plastics such as take-out containers. It's all part of her government's campaign to rid the country of plastic waste within 25 years.

China is providing motivation. For nearly three decades it has bought about half the world's recyclable plastic. But this year it called a halt to most scrap imports. Recyclables are now piling up in the countries that generated them. "That pushes the question upstream," Jambeck says. "We hope it will push towards more circular management."

Six Things You Can Do (and Feel No Pain)

1. Give up plastic bags. Take your own reusable ones to the store. A trillion plastic shopping bags are used worldwide every year, and 100 billion in the United States alone-that's almost one per American per day. The average Dane, in contrast, goes through four single-use bags per year. Denmark passed the first bag tax in 1993.

2. Skip straws. Unless you have medical needs, and even then you could use paper ones. Americans toss 500 million plastic straws every day, or about 1.5 per person.

3. Pass up plastic bottles. Invest in a refillable water bottle. Some come with filters if you're worried about water quality. A handful of cities, including Bundanoon, Australia, and San Francisco, have banned or partially banned bottled water. But around the world, nearly a million plastic beverage bottles are sold every minute.

4. Avoid plastic packaging. Buy bar soap instead of liquid. Buy in bulk. Avoid produce sheathed in plastic. And while you're at it, give up plastic plates and cups. The French are (partially) banning the stuff.

5. Recycle what you can. Even in rich countries, recycling rates are low. Globally, 18 percent of all plastic is recycled. Europe manages 30 percent, China 25-the United States only 9.

6. Don't litter. The Ocean Conservancy has run beach cleanups for 30 years. Of the top 10 types of trash they find, the only nonplastic item is glass bottles. Worldwide, 73 percent of beach litter is plastic: cigarette butts (the filters), bottles and caps, food wrappers, grocery bags, polystyrene containers. In 2016 the conservancy collected 9,200 tons of trash in 112 countries-around a thousandth of what enters the ocean each year.
Correction: A previous version of this article misidentified the jar in the caption as a quart jar (32 ounces), when in fact it is a pint jar (16 ounces).

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You Can Help Turn the Tide on Plastic. Here's How.

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This story is part of Planet or Plastic?-our multiyear effort to raise awareness about the global plastic waste crisis. Learn what you can do to reduce your own single-use plastics, and take your pledge. Read this story and more in the June 2018 issue of National Geographic magazine.

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Plastic Free Seas - beach clean ups and artwork

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Many of the schools in Hong Kong offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma, and to graduate, students much fulfil CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service) requirements. At PFS we are all about students taken action to help reduce the amount of single-use plastic waste that is created around us. Here are a few ideas which can be extended or simplified to become projects, majors or minors.

At PFS we believe that there is no inappropriate age for children to start going to the beach, the younger the better for the sensory learning experience. Beaches are meant to be fun places to explore and enjoy. With many hidden wonders and natural treasures to find, they are wonderful places for children, and in Hong Kong we are so lucky to be surrounded by hundreds of beaches.

We also believe there is no inappropriate age for children to start caring for our beaches. We would prefer children were going to the beach to experience clean, healthy and unspoilt nature, and to play and enjoy the sand, water and all the natural delights a trip to the beach can bring. But sadly, in this day and age, and especially in Hong Kong, unspoilt beaches are not the norm.

With the PFS beach cleanup program, we teach children and their parents about the good things on the beach whilst showing them how to protect themselves from the not-so-good things. This knowledge and awareness is useful when families are enjoying beach time together as they will be aware of the hazards that are unfortunately present in our marine environment. Knowing what to look out for, from natural hazards such as sharp shells, fish bones, slippery rocks, etc to man made items such as broken glass, medical waste and other potentially harmful objects and substances, is important information to learn.

Beach cleanups are opportunities to see first hand how our consumerist lives have lead to an increasing amount of plastic waste ending up in our oceans. Children can connect with items they find (bottle caps, food packaging, drink bottles, straws, etc) and think about solutions - at a personal, school or community level - to this problem.

Over the years, we have seen many children fearful of nature, including beaches. It is well documented that people protect the things they love, and if they enjoy being in nature, they are more likely to be inspired to look after it. Our goal is to show students not only the problems on our beaches and in our seas but also the reasons why we should all care about and do what we can to protect this oxygen giving, food supplying lifeblood of our planet - our oceans.

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Many of the schools in Hong Kong offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma, and to graduate, students much fulfil CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service) requirements. At PFS we are all about students taken action to help reduce the amount of single-use plastic waste that is created around us.

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Pacific Voyaging Society

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The Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage is taking Hōkūleʻa 47,000 nautical miles to 85 ports & 26 nations, to grow a global movement toward a sustainable world.

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Paroa Lagoon volunteer group

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The Guardians of Paroa are a small and passionate group of people willing to work for the flora, fau... na and environment of the area and for the betterment of the people. A pleasure to have been part of it all.

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The Guardians of Paroa are a small and passionate group of people willing to work for the flora, fau... na and environment of the area and for the betterment of the people. A pleasure to have been part of it all.

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CASRA - Cobden Aromahana Sanctuary

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Trees received from Funders

326 trees will help to remove about 35.14 tonnes of carbon *.
Learn more

CASRA are focused on protecting and enhancing the Cobden sanctuary and restoring the lower reaches of the Grey River. Our current focus is on planting native species to encourage additional spawning for whitebait, and developing an area surrounding Cobden Lagoon as an extension to the sanctuary for birds.

Funders matched to this planter

Cobden Aromahana Sanctuary and Recreation Areas Inc.(CASRA) has had support for their plantings from 1 funders since 2017 and has received 300 trees through Trees That Count.

News & stories

Read about how Cobden Aromahana Sanctuary and Recreation Areas Inc.(CASRA) has made an impact.

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Tree Planter | Cobden Aromahana Sanctuary and Recreation Areas Inc.(CASRA) | Trees That Count | Trees That Count

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Trees received from Funders 326 trees will help to remove about 35.14 tonnes of carbon *. Learn more CASRA are focused on protecting and enhancing the Cobden sanctuary and restoring the lower reaches of the Grey River.

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I loved this documentary but can't find it online

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A Maori Television documentary film production has scooped up a prestigious award at the New York Film and Television Awards.

Te Mana o te Moana The Pacific Voyagers picked up a world medal at the awards held in Las Vegas this week, in the new documentary category of climate change and sustainability.

The film, directed by Anna Marbrook and Mike Single, premiered on Maori Television in 2015.

READ MORE
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* Maori TV boss spends $40,000 refurbishing office

It traces the epic two-year voyage of seven, 72 foot waka as they traverse the Pacific Ocean, reviving the sailing and navigational prowess of their ancestors.

Marbrook said the win reinforced how the New Zealand and the Pacific voyaging community can inspire the world stage.

"We are small in numbers but big in dreams. It's only film that can lift these epic narratives into the heroic scale they deserve," she said.

Single, a veteran natural history and adventure cameraman, has also worked on Emmy Award-winning The Crystal Ocean. His images have screened on Discovery Channel and National Geographic.

Also picking up a finalist certificate at the awards was culinary series, Real Pasifik, currently airing on Maori Television at 7.30pm on Tuesday evenings.

The series stars award-winning chef Robert Oliver and features cuisine, local chefs and practices found only in the Pacific.

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Maori TV film Te Mana o te Moana The Pacific Voyagers wins big at New York awards

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A Maori Television documentary film production has scooped up a prestigious award at the New York Film and Television Awards. Te Mana o te Moana The Pacific Voyagers picked up a world medal at the awards held in Las Vegas this week, in the new documentary category of climate change and sustainability.

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MAORI & PASIFIKA - KNOWLEDGE & PERSPECTIVES

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MAORI & PASIFIKA - KNOWLEDGE & PERSPECTIVES

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World Oceans Day - Uniting Ocean Action Worldwide on 8 June 2020

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Uniting Ocean Action Worldwide on 8 June 2020

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Buller:
Suvi Van Smit - svansmit@doc.govt.nz
Pete Graham - pegraham@doc.govt.nz
Greymouth and Hokitika:
Lauren Kelley - lkelley@doc.govt.nz
South Westland:
Chris Monson (Franz Josef) - cmonson@doc.govt.nz
Rachel Norton (Haast) - rnorton@doc.govt.nz

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CVNZ - volunteer for coastal tree planting

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Punakaiki (Local Office) - Conservation Volunteers New Zealand

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3916 State Highway 6 Punakaiki Phone: 03 731 1808 Email: punakaiki@conservationvolunteers.co.nz

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A beach clean-up/litter survey project promoted by Sustainable Coastlines

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About Litter Intelligence

We cannot improve what we do not measure. Litter Intelligence is a long-term programme that collects litter data, provides powerful insights about the problem, and inspires widespread action for solutions. Led by New Zealand charity Sustainable Coastlines, the programme works in close collaboration with the Ministry for the Environment, Department of Conservation and Statistics New Zealand.

Find Out More

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We cannot improve what we do not measure. Litter Intelligence is a long-term programme that collects litter data, provides powerful insights about the problem, and inspires widespread action for solutions. Led by New Zealand charity Sustainable Coastlines, the programme works in close collaboration with the Ministry for the Environment, Department of Conservation and Statistics New Zealand.

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Tools for environmental action - includes list of funding sources

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Download the resource
Tools for environmental action (PDF, 3,029K) Inquiry cycle for working through the 'In the environment' resources (PDF, 421K)
Learning outcomes

Using this resource students can:

plan and carry out successful action to address an environmental issue alongside their community

monitor and review their environmental action

begin to understand how their action has an impact on the wider ecosystem.

Activity sheets

These activity sheets can be edited:

Curriculum links

Level 1-3 Technology
Technological practice: Planning for practice

L1: Outline a general plan to support the development of an outcome identifying appropriate steps and resources.

L3: Undertake planning to identify the key stages and resources required to develop an outcome. Revisit planning to include reviews of progress and identify implications for subsequent decision making.

Technological practice: Brief development

L1: Describe the outcome they are developing and identify the attributes it should have, taking account of the need or opportunity and the resources available.

L3: Describe the nature of an intended outcome, explaining how it addresses the need or opportunity. Describe key attributes that enable development and evaluation of an outcome.

Nature of technology: Characteristics of technology

L2: Understand that technology both reflects and changes society and the environment and increases people's capability.

Level 1-4 Science
Nature of Science: Participating and contributing

L1 & 2: Explore and act on issues and questions that link their science learning to their daily living.

L3 & 4: Explore various aspects of an issue and make decisions about possible actions

Science capabilities

Gather and interpret data

Use evidence

Critique evidence

Interpret representations

Engage with science

Level 1-4 Health
Healthy communities and environments: Community resources

L1 & 2: Identify and use local community resources and explain how these contribute to a healthy community.

L3 & 4: Participate in community events and describe how such events enhance wellbeing of the community.

Healthy communities and environments: Rights, responsibilities and laws; People and the environment

L1: Take individual and collective action to contribute to environments that can be enjoyed by all.

L3: Plan and implement a programme to enhance an identified social or physical aspect of their environment.

Learning levels

Topics

Curriculum learning areas

Webinars

Webinars are available to view on the Science Learning Hub website. They use the Exploring your local environment resources to model how conservation education can support student inquiry into a local green space:

Special thanks to Science Learning Hub for partnering with us to deliver these fantastic webinars.

Feedback

We would love to get your feedback about our resources so they are useful to you and your students - email conservED@doc.govt.nz and tell us what you think.

Contact

For questions or feedback about these resources, email conservED@doc.govt.nz.

Viewing files on this page

If you can't view these files contact us to request another format. About our files.

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Tools for environmental action (PDF, 3,029K) Inquiry cycle for working through the 'In the environment' resources (PDF, 421K) Learning outcomes Using this resource students can: plan and carry out successful action to address an environmental issue alongside their community monitor and review their environmental action begin to understand how their action has an impact on the wider ecosystem.

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Some great marine critters have been featured here

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Nicola Toki is the Threatened Species Ambassador for the Department of Conservation and a self-confessed "nature nerd". Each week she talks to Jesse Mulligan about an uncharismatic but lovable member of New Zealand's wildlife community.

Collection items

It's critter of the week time! Nicola Toki, Doc's Threatened Species Ambassador introduces us to the amazing sand scarab beetle/pericoptus truncatus. The nomads of the beach, this critter is... Audio

Critter of the Week Sand Scarab Beetle/Pericoptus truncatus

This week's critter is the exceptionally rare nocturnal Whittakers Skink, which can live 10 times longer than most tropical lizards. Audio

Critter of the Week: Whittakers Skink

Critter of the Week Bake-Off: the contenders!

Every Friday afternoon on RNZ National, DOC's Threatened Species Ambassador Nicola Toki introduces us to an uncharismatic but lovable member of New Zealand's wildlife community in the segment Critter... Gallery

Critter of the Week Bake-Off: the contenders!

Mediawatch Midweek is our weekly catch-up with Lately. This week Colin chats to Bryan about 'digital strip search' blowback; Taranaki flying the local radio flag; the Koru Club horror, Whangamomona's... Audio

Mediawatch Midweek: 10 October 2018

Critter of the Week T-Shirts and Tea Towels

New limited edition T-shirts, now in kids sizes. Plus a new tea towel!

Critter of the Week T-Shirts and Tea Towels

In rich, healthy 'litter-layers' on forest floors all over New Zealand, our critter this week is busy doing its thing - but you'd hardly know! DOC's Threatened Species Ambassador, Nicola Toki, shines... Audio

Critter of the Week Micro land snails

Critter of the Week: Bake-Off!

Announcing our inaugural Critter of the Week Bake-Off! A chance to put your baking skills to work to create cakes in the shapes of some of our fantastic and unusual endangered critters Video

Critter of the Week: Bake-Off!

DoC's threatened species ambassador, Nicola Toki gives us an update on some of the native species featured during the year. Audio

Critter of the Week

There are three species of pupuharakeke or flax snails in New Zealand.

Audio

Critter of the Week The Flax Snail

New Zealand has several species in the genus Lepidium - the coastal cresses - and many of them are "in serious trouble" and very endangered. Nau is the only endemic coastal cress in the far north. Audio

Critter of the Week: Cook's Scurvy Grass

Leopard seals are true seals, great in the water but on land they move like a lumbering caterpillar Audio, Gallery

Critter of the Week: The Leopard Seal

The White Pointer shark is the only marine fish in the Threatened Species Strategy. DoC's Threatened Species Ambassador, Nicola Toki shares what we know about these apex predators. Audio, Gallery

Critter of the Week: The Great White Shark

DoC's threatened species ambassador, Nicola Toki, talks about the cute but threatened New Zealand sea lion. Audio

Critter of the Week: sea lion

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Nicola Toki is the Threatened Species Ambassador for the Department of Conservation and a self-confessed "nature nerd". Each week she talks to Jesse Mulligan about an uncharismatic but lovable member of New Zealand's wildlife community. It's critter of the week time! Nicola Toki, Doc's Threatened Species Ambassador introduces us to the amazing sand scarab beetle/pericoptus truncatus.

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Whitebait investigation activities - a good way to promote 'mountains to sea' concepts

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Whitebait Connection - a freshwater community conservation education programme

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Te aki i te hunga tangata te tiaki inanga... Whitebait Connection provides an inquiry and action based environmental education programme for schools and communities focusing on the health of our streams, rivers and wetlands

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Videos and info about ocean currents and the Pacific garbage patch

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OCTOBER 22, 2015 -- The data whizzes at NASA recently decided to turn their attention from the sky to the ocean as they attempted to model how ocean currents help drive the formation of the " garbage patches." From NASA:

"We start with data from floating, scientific buoys that NOAA has been distributing in the oceans for the last 35 years represented here as white dots ... If we let all of the buoys go at the same time, we can observe buoy migration patterns ... The buoys migrate to 5 known gyres also called ocean garbage patches. We can also see this in a computational model of ocean currents called ECCO-2. We release particles evenly around the world and let the modeled currents carry the particles. The particles from the model also migrate to the garbage patches."

Check out their data visualization here:

As you might gather from the visualization, the gyres, where "garbage patches" are located, represent massive, dynamic areas of the ocean that are constantly moving and changing-and as a result, are also bringing trash and other marine debris with them. Rather than giant, floating islands of trash that you can see from satellites (you can't), "garbage patches" are ocean gathering places for what are mainly tiny bits of plastic dispersed throughout the water column. Still fuzzy on what the garbage patches are and are not? Check out this video from the NOAA Marine Debris Program:

And tune in to this National Ocean Service podcast to learn what we know and don't know about the garbage patches and what we can do about this ocean-sized problem: Listen to the podcast. You can also read about our own efforts to model where marine debris travels across the ocean.

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Visualizing How Ocean Currents Help Create the Garbage Patches | response.restoration.noaa.gov

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OCTOBER 22, 2015 -- The data whizzes at NASA recently decided to turn their attention from the sky to the ocean as they attempted to model how ocean currents help drive the formation of the " garbage patches."

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The Flock - creative project about migratory shorebirds

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Our migratory shorebirds are amazing, but they need our help. Help us build The Flock and spread the word.

Migratory shorebirds connect us to other places and other people

Migratory shorebirds connect inland New Zealand with the coast. They connect New Zealand to the rest of the world as they travel through Australia, the Pacific, Asia and the Arctic every year.

They are capable of amazing feats of endurance

The kuaka (bar-tailed godwit) flies 11,000 kilometres, from Alaska to New Zealand, without stopping!

The huahou (red knot), a tiny bird weighing just over 120 grams, can travel 10,100 kilometres non-stop NZ to China on their way to their Siberian breeding grounds each year.

The tiny ngutuparore (wrybill) and much larger tōrea (South Island pied oystercatcher) migrate annually between New Zealand main islands, breeding in South Island river beds and farm land, and wintering on the North Island's coasts.

These birds have been making these trips for many millions of years.

Our shorebirds are under threat

These amazing birds rely on a few, often well spread out habitats. These habitats are under threat.

Ongoing loss of habitat in the Yellow Sea is causing the populations of the bar-tailed godwit and red knot to shrink. These species, and several other arctic migrants that stop for refueling in the Yellow Sea, were added to the IUCN red list of threatened species in 2015.

In New Zealand, land use changes in breeding areas, pollution of winter feeding areas, and increased disturbance to feeding and roosting birds at coastal sites threatens the South Island pied oystercatcher and other endemic shorebirds.

Let's keep the birds coming

We want these birds to keep coming to New Zealand's coasts each year. But there is a real possibility that in a few generations these birds will be gone, victims to reclamation, changing land use, sedimentation and coastal development.

Protecting these birds requires protecting their habitats.

Pūkorokoro Miranda is creating 'The Flock' to help spread the message about the threats facing our migratory shore birds, and seek support for Pūkorokoro Miranda's conservation activities both in New Zealand and internationally.

The Pūkorokoro Miranda Naturalists' Trust has focused on shorebird conservation for 40 years. It works with partners in New Zealand, including the Department of Conservation and Fonterra through the Living Waters partnership, and overseas to keep these amazing birds coming to New Zealand.

We've done a lot, but with your help we can do so much more.

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Our migratory shorebirds are amazing, but they need our help. Help us build The Flock and spread the word. Migratory shorebirds connect us to other places and other people Migratory shorebirds connect inland New Zealand with the coast. They connect New Zealand to the rest of the world as they travel through Australia, the Pacific, Asia and the Arctic every year.

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Tawaki - or Fiordland crested penguins - break many penguin rules. And unusually, they're a good news story, for unlike most of their embattled penguin cousins, they are thriving in the dense forest of Milford Sound.

Thomas Mattern and a team of researchers from the not-for-profit Tawaki Project have spent the last three years on their hands and knees in the wet forests of South Westland and Fiordland, braving sandflies and rain in search of New Zealand's most elusive penguin.

The researchers have been pecked and flippered by grumpy penguins, covered in penguin poo and scratched by thorny plants in their quest to unravel the biology of a shy bird that nests in deep crevices beneath large boulders.

"That's what makes it so difficult to work with these birds," says Thomas. "They're so inaccessible ... so secretive. Nothing like Emperor penguins or King penguins or any of these large colony birds that hang out in the open in their thousands. This penguin keeps to itself."
Breaking the 'two egg, one chick' rule
Thomas is discovering is that tawaki don't play by the rules, or at least the usual rules of being a crested penguin.

Most crested penguins - a group that includes rockhopper penguins, erect-crested penguins, and Snares crested penguins - lay two eggs but raise only one chick. No one knows why. The two eggs are quite different in size, and scientists speculate the smaller one is an insurance egg 'just in case' the larger egg fails.

They also suggest that crested penguin parents can only find enough food to successfully raise a single hungry chick.

But this spring, at Harrison Cove in Fiordland's Milford Sound, penguin biologist Kerry-Jayne Wilson from the West Coast Penguin Trust was astonished as Thomas showed her tawaki nest after tawaki nest containing two large healthy chicks.

Nearly half of the nests at Milford Sound this year contained two chicks, although Thomas points out this is an exceptionally successful year for the Milford Sound birds and is not universal for all tawaki populations.

He says that tawaki at his other research site, at Jackson Head in South Westland, follow the more usual crested penguin pattern of raising a single chick.
Rich pickings in Milford Sound
Thomas believes the reason tawaki can raise two chicks is that Milford Sound seems to be a rich source of food. The adults don't have to travel far to find food, and Thomas reports he has seen penguins coming ashore after a fishing trip so full of food they can barely walk up the beach.

The Tawaki Project has been attaching GPS loggers to foraging penguins to see how far they have to travel to find food, and these show that almost all the Milford Sound penguins find the food they need within the fiord.

"This must be tawaki paradise," says Thomas.

One typical tracked bird stayed within three kilometres of her nest in Harrison Cove during a foraging trip, and at times was just drifting at the water surface. Yet when she returned to feed her chicks she had a large load of 400 grams of fish in her stomach.

Tawaki often dive to about 20 metres deep, and the deepest recorded dive in Milford Sound is 80 metres.
Not such good news at Jackson Head
The situation in Milford Sound contrasts with penguins from Jackson Head, where females travel on average 20-50 kilometres a day, and dive 40-50 metres deep.

"If you ask me, they have to work a lot harder to find their food on the West Coast," says Thomas.

Two years ago, most of the tawaki chicks at Jackson Head died from starvation during an El Nino season, and adult females were travelling up to 120 kilometres in an unsuccessful effort to find food. Last year, most of the Jackson Head tawaki chicks were killed on the nest by stoats.

Thomas is pleased to report that this year the Jackson Head tawaki are having a more successful breeding season.
Where do tawaki go?
The Tawaki Project is interested to find out what tawaki do when they're not ashore during the breeding season.

Last year, Thomas used satellite tags to track 20 West Coast tawaki for a few weeks in summer, after they finished rearing their chicks and before they returned ashore to begin their moult. "We found that tawaki - compared to all other crested penguins - travelled the greatest distance during the pre-moult period."

He says this is even more surprising given they are one of the smallest crested penguins.

Thomas is now keen to discover where tawaki go in winter, during the non-breeding season, when they spend months foraging out at sea. He is attaching small GLS - GeoLocator System tracking devices - to the leg bands of tawaki. These devices detect light and dark, which can be used to calculate a rough location, and they will be left on the bird for a whole year.

"This is the first time this kind of research is being done, and we have no idea where they go over the winter."

The official population estimate for tawaki is 5-7000 birds, but Thomas suspects the real number is much higher. The accuracy of the estimate is hampered by the sheer difficulty of locating tawakai nests, but a recent search in Milford Sound bumped the number of known nests from just 9 to 150.

This is good news as it suggests that tawaki are maintaining a stronghold on mainland New Zealand despite the challenges.

Other New Zealand penguins, however, aren't faring so well.
Yellow-eyed penguin populations in decline
Thomas also carries out research on hoiho or yellow-eyed penguins, and he and fellow scientists recently reported that the numbers of hoiho breeding on predator-free Whenua Hou or Codfish Island have crashed over the last three years.

A similar situation has been seen at hoiho breeding sites on the South Island's east coast, causing Thomas to ask whether the species might become extinct on mainland New Zealand within the next couple of decades.

A new study of penguin deaths , which involved Tawaki Project researchers Ursula Ellenberg and Thomas Mattern, shows that significant numbers of New Zealand penguins are being killed in set nets, with one recent study estimating that set nets kill an average of 35 yellow-eyed penguins each year.

Tawaki Project research on tawaki and hoiho is supported by the Birds New Zealand Research Fund.

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Tawaki - or Fiordland crested penguins - break many penguin rules. And unusually, they're a good news story, for unlike most of their embattled penguin cousins, they are thriving in the dense forest of Milford Sound.

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NZAEE Seaweek - each year in Feb-March

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Sandy/Muddy Shore Guide

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WWF NZ teachers' kete

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Teachers' resources

WWF-New Zealand provides resources for teachers and other educators that relate to the conservation work we do, with a particular focus on Māui dolphins.

And there are heaps of other environmental eduation resources out here!

Below is a one-stop shop of links to:

resources about Education for Sustainability

credible sources of information about the environment

Zealandia Tracking & Trapping teachers' resource

Māui Dolphin Education Resources

Links to Education for Sustainability resources

The Ministry of Education
The Ministry has recently released a series of New Zealand Curriculum Guides for Senior Secondary. Education for Sustainability guides can be found under the Social Science section and are well worth a look as a useful resource for teachers of all levels.

New Zealand Association for Environmental Education
The New Zealand Association for Environmental Education (NZAAE) is a national network of environmental educators.

Enviroschools
Enviroschools is a holistic programme that supports schools to take a whole school approach to sustainability.

TKI Education for Sustainability kete
Provided by the Ministry of Education, Te Kete provides a basket of information about education for sustainability for teachers.

See Change
Released in 2004 by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, the See Change report aims to raise the level of New Zealand's debate about education for sustainability. It highlights how education, in its broadest sense, needs to bring about a 'sea change' (a transformation) for the better.

Environmental education in New Zealand schools: Research into current practice and future possibilities
Released by the Ministry of Education, this research, presented in four volumes, looks at current practice in environmental education in New Zealand schools.

United Nations Decade for Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014
In December 2002, UNESCO took the lead in implementing the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD).

Working with schools
This website from WWF-UK for One Planet Schools, provides information, encouragement and inspiration for schools working to put sustainability issues at the heart of school life.

Classroom resources

DOC : Students and teachers
The Department of Conservation provides web pages for schools with conservation activities, field trips and suggested themes for study.

Up the Creek
This bilingual interactive website from the Department of Conservation introduces concepts about freshwater biodiversity by focusing on the life cycle of whitebait. Intended for level 3 and 4 of the New Zealand curriculum, the resource includes teachers' notes and ideas for class discussions and activities.

Trees for Survival
This national programme run by a charitable trust provides a hands-on environmental education experience by involving children in local planting projects that provide 'at risk' land with plant cover, restore eroded land to improve stream and water quality, and provide habitat for native plants and animals. The programme builds community partnerships by engaging schools, landowners, service clubs, regional and local councils, business sponsors and volunteers.

Global Focus Aotearoa
Global Focus Aotearoa is a specialist provider of information and education on global and development issues. Their website gives quick access to a free lending library, magazines, teaching resources, email updates, training information and much more.

The GLOBE Programme
GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based science and education programme. GLOBE's vision promotes and supports students, teachers and scientists to collaborate on inquiry-based investigations of the environment and the dynamics of Earth's environment.

Local Government Online
Most regional councils and unitary authorities have education pages, and resources and programmes for schools and community groups. This site provides access to all local government agencies in New Zealand.

Sources of information about the environment

Environment New Zealand
Published in 2007 by the Ministry for the Environment, this report provides information about the state of the New Zealand environment. It follows on from and updates information from the inaugural 1997 report.

Department of Conservation
The Department of Conservation is the lead agency conserving New Zealand's natural and historic heritage. This link goes to some of the key conservation activities the department undertakes.

New Zealand biodiversity
This site provides information about Aotearoa New Zealand's native biodiversity, what is being done to help conserve and manage it, and who is involved. The information and work programmes covered in this site are part of the Government's commitment under the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy (2000).

Zero waste
The Zero Waste New Zealand Trust, funded mainly by The Tindall Foundation, dedicates its effort toward achieving zero waste and sustainable New Zealand. It focuses on recycling, minimising and/or eliminating waste and reducing consumption.

EnergyWise
EnergyWise supports renewable energy and encourages energy conservation in our homes, travel, businesses, buildings.

Climate change
Hosted by the Ministry for the Environment, this website provides information on how to take action and current initiatives.

Starfish
The Ministry of Fisheries provides educational resources for children, as well as images and games.

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WWF-New Zealand provides resources for teachers and other educators that relate to the conservation work we do, with a particular focus on Māui dolphins. And there are heaps of other environmental eduation resources out here!

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No one was able to save a pilot whale that swallowed nearly eight kilograms of plastic bags off Thailand.

Rescuers cradled it in a shallow canal, their arms wrapped around its slick, shuddering body. It could not eat and struggled to swim and breathe. Red umbrellas were opened above it to block the harsh sun.

It was a race against time to save the male pilot whale, slowly dying after it was discovered Monday in Thailand near the Malaysian border.

A team of rescuers deployed buoys to keep the mammal from slipping into the water and drowning as veterinarians tended to it. It vomited five plastic bags during the rescue attempt.

The whale died Friday after a five-day fight, the country's Department of Marine and Coastal Resources said, becoming the latest high-profile incident of marine life forced to live in oceans littered with human rubbish.

An autopsy revealed dozens of plastic bags jamming the whale's stomach, weighing 7.7kg in all, the agency wrote on Facebook.

Photos posted to social media showed so many long, black plastic bags that authorities were running out of room to manoeuvre in the operating room without standing on trash. A bundle of white plastic is shown next to innards stretching across an operating table.

Thai officials said they believe the whale mistook the floating plastic for food. Pilot whales primarily eat squid but are also known to hunt octopus, cuttlefish and small fish when squid prove elusive, the American Cetacean Society said.

Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine biologist and lecturer at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, told Agence France-Presse that the plastic probably prevented the whale from digesting food.

"If you have 80 plastic bags in your stomach, you die," he said, adding that at least 300 marine animals, including pilot whales, sea turtles and dolphins, die annually after ingesting plastic in Thai waters.

More than 5 trillion pieces of rubbish - and counting - are in the world's oceans, according to a 2014 study. Of that, nearly 270,000 tons of large and small plastic debris are on the surface.

A study published last year found that 83 per cent of water samples from more than a dozen nations were contaminated with plastic fibres.

It was unclear whether the whale was a short-finned or long-finned pilot whale, although short-finned pilots commonly traverse the warmer waters typical of Southeast Asia. Males grow up to 6 metres and weigh up to three tons, with females topping out at 4.8 metres and 1.5 tons, according to the American Cetacean Society.

Rubbish in the ocean has affected other whale species.

In April, a 10-metre sperm whale weighing 680kg was found dead on a Spanish beach. More than 27 kilograms of trash clogged its digestive system.

And in 2016, some of the more than 30 beached sperm whales beached in Europe were found with plastic debris in their stomachs, National Geographic reported, including a large fishing net, an engine cover and shards of a plastic bucket.

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Pilot whale swallowed 7.7kg of plastic bags off Thailand

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No one was able to save a pilot whale that swallowed nearly eight kilograms of plastic bags off Thailand. Rescuers cradled it in a shallow canal, their arms wrapped around its slick, shuddering body. It could not eat and struggled to swim and breathe. Red umbrellas were opened above it to block the harsh sun.

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Blog about reducing rubbish and carbon footprint living on a sailboat

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From watching dolphins leaping at the bow, seeking companionship from a banking shearwater during lonely ocean watchers or flushing hundreds of tiny sparkling plankton down the loo(!), sailors are overwhelmingly in tune with the natural world.

Like our fellow amphibians, we have adapted to life on land and in the water, just with a few more contraptions to keep us afloat! Sails power us, wind turbines swish, solar panels bristle and wake turbines spin, providing green energy for our lights, laptops, fridges or if you've a wooden boat like us, bilge pumps!

It is this usage of alternative energy and awareness of its consumption, down to the last amp, that holds us apart from many of our land-dwelling counterparts. Just as a gecko effortlessly merges with its surrounding, so the sailor can be seen collecting rain water, conserving water, sourcing locally and eating seasonally; it is as natural to her as living in a box the size of most people's garden shed.

We live a privileged life in some of the most remote and wild places on earth. Tiny, shaken feather-balls seek shelter with us on their incredible migrations; flying fish screech onto our decks; a blue whale, one of the least known and largest animals ever to grace our planet, surfaces at our 'front door'.

We are immersed in the lives of animals that others can only dream of.

But we mustn't get complacent.

It's easy to underestimate the impact of jettisoning a piece of rope, of the gurgle of the 'iron top sail' or that of anti-foul paint. The natural world, especially the vast ocean, can appear so limitless, bountiful and forgiving. It can be, but at the moment humanity is pushing Lovelock's Gaia Theory to the limit. The repetitive death knells of: overfishing, pollution, over-population, coral bleaching and climate change hammer remorselessly at our planet, our life support system.

In our unique positions sleeping within a few centimetres of a passing hammer-head shark or giant squid, we can lead the way. We are the Queens of our mini floating worlds, regulating inputs and outputs, far and above that which a land-lover could dream to achieve.

Together we can reconnect our blue-green umbilical cord and ensure that the passion and inspiration ignited by our magical world is shared with others and serves to conserve our wild home forever.

I have always been transfixed by the natural world. Whether perched on a branch watching the canopy commotion as a bird of prey soars through or waiting under the roof of a million stars for whiskered bats to emerge from their roost. But it was not until nearly four years ago when we set sail that I started to meet and understand the other 70% of our planet.

Since then we have been trying to work out how to leave as tiny a blue print as possible. I find it challenging and extremely satisfying. I'm sure many of you will be following similar principles and I would love to hear more ideas. Because I believe together we CAN make a difference, can ENJOY the 'greening' process and most of all the wildlife and wild places we're supporting.

"There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience".
~French Proverb

Below are some of the things we do to sustain as blue-green a life as possible:

Cleaning:

I use Ecover which can be found in the UK, Canary Islands, USA etc. and Seventh Generation which I found in St. Maarten, or better still vinegar and lemon (to cut back on packaging), also organic soap and shampoo (I've found organic olive-based products in the French Caribbean).

Soapnuts are little gems for laundry. They're totally organic, not the rightest of results, but the fish are happier! Friends know to bring these beauties with them when they visit, although you need such tiny amounts, they last for ages.

I use a 'moon cup' during menstruation, so nothing's thrown in the bin and it's very cost effective. We haven't had children yet, but I would love to hear from parents who've used cloth nappies.

We've tried various anti-foul alternative treatments such as chili in paint, but with the fear of ship worm ever stalking us, I'm afraid we still use hard anti-foul paint. I'm not an expert on anti-fouling and would love to hear if anyone has found 'greener' alternatives. This is the bane of our wooden boat life. We collect the hard paint debris as best as we can when re-painting the hull, but no doubt this highly toxic substance gets into the environment and into us.

Fuel: we use the engine as little as possible, equating it to CO₂, stinking fumes and noise. Some of our most treasured days at sea have been sitting becalmed with our toes being pecked by seabirds!

We mend and re-use everything: when lowering the floor in our galley, we re-used all the wood and nails. We are very careful in selecting wood, using, for example, teak grown in agricultural plantations in Trinidad. I'd rather see a tree in a rainforest heaving with wildlife than dead on our boat.

We avoid petroleum-based products where possible using, for example, linseed oil and Varnol (pine tree resin-based product) on the exterior wood. No product is perfect: e.g. linseed oil is often produced through intensive agriculture, so it's often a case of choosing the best of a bad bunch.

I look forward to hearing your ideas!

The 5000 Mile Project
On 27 July 2012, Katharine and her husband, David, will start running the length of South America, over 5000 miles, the equivalent of 200 marathons, unsupported, in a year.

Their goals are to:

Raise money to buy and conserve threatened habitats in South America.

Connect people to the communities and wildlife they meet and examine how, through our actions, we are connected.

Inspire environmental action; to prove that with small steps we can tackle seemingly insurmountable challenges; it's not too late to protect the world's remaining unspoilt ecosystems, but time is running out.

If you would like to sponsor their expedition or donate to their wildlife charities, please:

About Katharine Lowrie

Katharine is an ecologist and currently lives with her husband David in Uruguay on their 77-year-old wooden gaff-ketch.

They surveyed the breeding seabirds of the Eastern Caribbean between 2009 and 2010 and recently published, The Seabird Breeding Atlas of the Lesser Antilles, with Environmental Protection In the Caribbean (EPIC), available from Create Space and Amazon.com.

After leaving the Caribbean, they sailed to the Galapagos, Easter Island and Chile where they lived for nearly a year, including sailing south through the Patagonian canals and the Beagle Channel. They then sailed to the Falklands and Uruguay - experiencing some of the worst weather of their entire journey! ( www.listalight.co.uk).

Read also on this website

More information (external links)

How do you leave a 'small blue print'?
Let us know.

Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.

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From watching dolphins leaping at the bow, seeking companionship from a banking shearwater during lonely ocean watchers or flushing hundreds of tiny sparkling plankton down the loo(!), sailors are overwhelmingly in tune with the natural world. Like our fellow amphibians, we have adapted to life on land and in the water, just with a few more contraptions to keep us afloat!

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Funding Source

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Each year we make available a fund to encourage schools to implement sustainability projects. Since 1983, we've provided more than $760,000 in study grants to over 400 schools. Find out how your school can apply for a share of the 2018 $25,000 fund.

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Today we celebrate the publication of our Marathon penguins paper in the Open Access journal PLoS One. For all of you that do not want to grind through a lengthy scientific text our friend Giselle Clarkson has summed in up perfectly:

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How Beach Cleanups Help Keep Microplastics out of the Garbage Patches | response.restoration.noaa.gov

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In general, plastic breaks down much, much more slowly in the ocean than on land. That means plastic objects that reach the ocean either directly from a boat (say trash or nets from a fishing vessel) or washed into the sea before much degradation has happened are much less likely to break into smaller pieces that become microplastics.

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A resource to experience NZ's ocean

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Steve Hathaway, Liz Busch, Jani Alexander, Reuben Pollock, Axel Busch

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Young Ocean Explorers has been on a mission since 2012 to inspire kids to love our ocean - through entertaining education. We want to capture children's imaginations through great storytelling, bringing the beauty, awe and fascination of the ocean and its inhabitants alive.

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Plastic bags have become so common around the capital's shoreline, divers call them "Wellington jellyfish".

Rob Wilson, organiser of clean-up diving group Ghost Fishing, said he and his crew regularly filled two sacks with plastic bags during their monthly clean up. But the majority were missed, obscured by sil t.

"They are more prominent within the harbour, being an enclosed waterway, and storm drains feeding into it," he said.

"Around the Southern Ocean coastline we do find them embedded and tangled in weed. Anywhere there are fishing vessels, plastic bags are common."

It's not just Wellington. Wilson's dive crew have just completed their first regional clean up in Auckland, and he said they found more of the same.

So our shopping bags are finding their way to the country's shores, but what are they doing once they are out there? It's not good.

TURTLES MISTAKE BAGS FOR REAL JELLYFISH

Dan Godoy, of Massey University's Coastal-Marine Research Group, said a third of turtles washed up dead on New Zealand beaches had swallowed plastic, and the type of flimsy film used in most shopping bags was the worst culprit.

The creatures would suffer a "horrific" death, according to Godoy, as their digestive tract became blocked, and they either starved or died after their intestinal walls were ruptured.

In August a critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle washed up near Mangonui. It later died at Auckland Zoo, and was found to have eaten more than a litre of plastic.

UP TO 90 PER CENT OF SEABIRDS EAT PLASTIC

Auckland Museum curator Matt Rayner has seen the devastating effect on seabirds first-hand.

Working alongside researchers from the University of Tasmania to autopsy 1700 birds from both countries, Rayner said 37 per cent had eaten plastic.

A piece of research published by the National Academy of Science in the United States in mid-2015 estimated up to 90 per cent of seabirds ate plastic.

The study found the highest area of expected impact occurred at the Southern Ocean boundary in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, which contrasted with previous work suggesting the area was relatively untouched by human pollution.

BIRDS FEEDING PLASTIC TO THEIR YOUNG

On the Otago Peninsula, albatrosses were found to be feeding plastics to their young.

Department of Conservation Ranger Jim Watts said hard plastic had been found in the chick's regurgitations.

"In the 2016-17 breeding season, 23 chicks fledged and in the nine regurgitations that we found and collected, plastic fragments were recovered from eight of these. In previous seasons plastic has also been found in a handful of regurgitations," he said.

"Northern royal albatross are surface feeders, scooping prey from the surface of the ocean. They mainly feed on squid, other cephalopods and fish.

"Adult birds could be scooping up plastic floating on the surface inadvertently or mistaking it as food.

"The danger to the chicks is it is indigestible and in large quantities the plastic makes the albatross chick feel full so they may not beg for more food from their parents. Plastic has no nutritional value so the bird could potentially starve."

PLASTIC IN THE FISH WE EAT?

Ongoing research from the Auckland University Institute of Marine Science has shown of eight species common in New Zealand, only one did not eat plastic.

Lead researcher Ana Markic, said the fish were species Kiwis regularly bought from local markets.

Markic was the first to explore plastic's impact on Kiwi fisheries, with neither the fishing industry nor the Ministry for Primary Industries having investigated in the past.

A 2017 United Nations report estimated that plastic production reached 322 million tonnes in 2015, which was expected to rise to about 600 million tonnes by 2025, and exceed one billion tonnes by 2050.

An overview of lab experiments found that a lot of marine life ate microplastics, including molluscs and fish, and the plastics were observed in several studies to move up the foodchain.

However, the research concluded that accumulation was unlikely, since most microplastics would not enter the flesh of the creature.

Over 220 different species were found to ingest microplastic debris in nature. Excluding birds, turtles and mammals, 55 per cent were species of commercial importance, including mussels, oysters, clams, common shrimp, lobsters, anchovies, sardines, and many fish.

"In microplastic-exposed aquatic organisms the digestive tract contains the largest quantities of microplastics.

"However, seafood innards are normally discarded before human consumption, except for bivalves, echinoderms and some species of small fish," the report read.

MARINE MAMMALS AFFECTED

The UK government said experts estimated that plastic is eaten by 31 species of marine mammals and more than 100 species of sea birds.

As a study cited by the government explains,"when seabirds, sea mammals or fish ingest plastic particles, blocking of the gut is likely to harm or even kill the organism".

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How plastic bags clog our seas and kill birds, turtles and sea mammals

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Plastic bags have become so common around the capital's shoreline, divers call them "Wellington jellyfish". Rob Wilson, organiser of clean-up diving group Ghost Fishing, said he and his crew regularly filled two sacks with plastic bags during their monthly clean up. But the majority were missed, obscured by sil t.

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(things like good articles, ted talks, scientific research...)

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Tracking your trash

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Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge

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The sea is our taonga. Our connections to it are strong. More than 75% of New Zealanders live within 10 km of the coast, and the sea is an important part of our Kiwi lifestyle - whether we use it for recreation, harvesting food and other resources or for spiritual wellbeing.

The Ministry for the Environment reports that we have over 15,000 marine species in oceans around New Zealand, with around seven new species identified each fortnight. Scientists estimate there may be another 35,000 species yet to be discovered! Many species are endemic to New Zealand - they are found nowhere else on Earth.

Our marine estate is also important for our economy and supports industries such as tourism, aquaculture, shipping and communications (submarine fibre-optic cables). Our seas are rich in resources including fish, oil and gas, and minerals. New Zealand's exclusive economic zone is 4 million square kilometres - more than 20 times the size of our land area! New Zealand governs this area and decides who can use the resources.

As a country, we face conflicts between the different uses of our marine environments. We are also aware that old ways of managing our seas are in need of a rethink. The Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge is tasked with helping New Zealand enhance the value of our marine resources while ensuring they are safeguarded for future generations.

Synergies between classroom pedagogy and real-world collaborations

The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) has a vision for all young people:

to be connected to the land and environment

to contribute to the country's social, cultural, economic and environmental wellbeing

to understand the importance of balancing rights, roles and responsibilities

to be informed decision-makers as a result.

Student-centred collaborative learning within classrooms is developing the skills required for future informed, participatory citizens. This mirrors the vision and objectives of the Sustainable Seas Challenge. It too recognises that social, cultural and environmental values are important. When decision-making is informed and collective, decisions about the use of marine resources are more likely to be accepted by Māori, industry, communities and the public as a whole.

The Sustainable Seas Challenge is a real-world model of the types of engagement and action envisioned by the NZC. Its research projects provide modern contexts for exploring all strands of the nature of science, including socio-scientific topics, for example:

What are the non-monetary values of coastal and marine ecosystem services?

Why do we need to consider culturally appropriate ecosystem approaches?

Working collectively

The Sustainable Seas Challenge is working with Māori, stakeholders, scientists, social scientists, economists and policy experts to collectively develop a better way to manage our marine resources through ecosystem-based management (EBM). A key component of EBM is participatory decision-making. It is an inclusive way for decision-makers to involve diverse interest groups - a change from the old 'top down' decision process.

Our goal is ambitious. Research in isolation is not enough - engagement with, and participation from, all sectors of society is critical.
Dr Julie Hall, Director, Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge

The Challenge is developing EBM as a tool to improve the way we (society) manage the competing uses of our marine environment. EBM is an approach that recognises the many interactions that occur within an ecosystem - including humans - rather than looking at single species or issues in isolation. Developing EBM is at the heart of all of the Challenge's research. EBM is further explained in the article Looking at EBM.

New frameworks for participation

The Sustainable Seas Challenge's vision is for New Zealand to have healthy marine ecosystems that provide value for every New Zealander. To do this, the Challenge has set up several research programmes.

Our Seas

This programme is investigating the best ways to increase participation in decision making from all sectors of society. One aspect is to investigate social licence - the public acceptance of a particular activity. See how this looks in action as parties work to restore the Ōngātoro/Maketū Estuary.

Valuable Seas

This is investigating the values that New Zealanders have for our marine environment, including social, environmental and cultural values as well as economic values. One project is investigating the blue economy, for example, creating kina oil using the shells, spines and offal.

Tangaroa

Māori have long-standing ancestral and other connections with the sea. This programme is developing innovations that enable Māori to participate as partners in marine management, provide for the practice of tikanga and support the Māori marine economy.

Dynamic Seas

This programme is investigating how marine ecosystems work and are connected, using techniques like eDNA to measure biodiversity, and researching marine tipping points and the effects of multiple stressors on an ecosystem.

Managed Seas

Managed Seas is the Challenge's 'tool box' - it is developing models and interactive tools to support decision-making and indicate the effects of management decisions. One component is simulation models for Tasman and Golden Bays that will explore 'what if?' scenarios.

Vision Mātauranga

Vision Mātauranga underpins each of the Sustainable Seas research programmes (and the other 10 National Science Challenges). This programme is working with Māori to capture the needs and aspirations of all sectors of society, and unlock the potential of Māori knowledge, resources and people.

Enabling EBM

This programme is investigating the potential of New Zealand's current marine legislation and decision-making to implement EBM. The Sustainable Seas Challenge is trialling EBM in a case study in Tasman and Golden Bays.

Nature of science

Acknowledgement

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Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge

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The sea is our taonga. Our connections to it are strong. More than 75% of New Zealanders live within 10 km of the coast, and the sea is an important part of our Kiwi lifestyle - whether we use it for recreation, harvesting food and other resources or for spiritual wellbeing.

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AS AN OCEAN GUARDIAN I PLEDGE TO MAKE THE FOLLOWING COMMITMENTS:

Avoid cosmetics with microbeads

In bathroom shelves across the world lie toothpaste and facial scrubs packed with tiny plastic pieces that threaten marine life. Up to 51 trillion microplastic particles are already in our oceans! I will use an app, such as Beat the Microbead to replace personal care and cosmetics products that contain microbeads.

Want to do more as a community?

Seen the film? We'd love to hear your thoughts via our Impact Survey

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AS AN OCEAN GUARDIAN I PLEDGE TO MAKE THE FOLLOWING COMMITMENTS: In bathroom shelves across the world lie toothpaste and facial scrubs packed with tiny plastic pieces that threaten marine life. Up to 51 trillion microplastic particles are already in our oceans!

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Project Jonah World of Whales Ed Resource

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Project Jonah believes children play a vital role in the future of marine mammals.

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The Project Jonah World of Whales educational resource kit includes lesson plans and interactive resources on how to participate in the protection of marine mammals in the future.

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Info about beach clean-ups and riparian planting

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We are a charity, and we need your support now more than ever. Our work to protect our coastlines and waterways doesn't stop. Donate now to help us keep looking after the places we love.

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Links to heaps of marine resources for teachers

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New Zealand Marine Studies Centre Home, New Zealand Marine Studies Centre, University of Otago, New Zealand

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We provide a window into marine research at the University of Otago. The Centre showcases local marine life and offers marine education programmes for all ages.

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Rocky Shore Guide

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Our Seas Our Future - resources for taking action to protect NZ's coastal & marine ecosystems

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Our Seas Our Future General Resources

OSOF Brochure - Download our general information brochure to learn about how our organisation works with volunteers.

Plastic Free New Zealand Resources

Plastic Bags Letter Template - Use our online form to create a pre-written and formatted letter to encourage your local businesses to phase-out plastic carrier bags. (Time: 5 mins) ( Preview Letter)

Plastic Straws Letter Template - Use our online form to create a pre-written and formatted letter to encourage your local cafes/bars/restaurants to phase-out single-use plastic straws. (Time: 5 mins) ( Preview Letter)

Adopt-a-Coast Resources

Adopt-a-Coast Brochure - Download our information brochure to see what is involved in adopting your coast.

Waste Audit Data Sheet - A one page data collection sheet to help you record information on the types of waste found during a coastal clean-up. This information can then be uploaded to the Adopt-a-Coast Web Application.

Waste Conversion Table - A one page conversion table to help you convert estimated volume of trash to a weight value.

External Downloadable Resources

NZMSC Resources - A great collection of downloadable resources from the NZ Marine Studies Centre - includes teacher guides, identification and fact sheets, games and activities, all grouped according to the topics and programmes they support.

New Zealand Bathymetry Data - New Zealand Region bathymetric datasets and images from NIWA.

Inverstigating Marine Reserves - This is an integrated curriculum teaching resource with New Zealand's marine reserves as a real-life context for learning. The resource links to the New Zealand Curriculum at levels 1-4, but can be adapted for use at various levels.

Whale-Rescue.org Marine Mammal Medic Training Handbook - PDF download of the Marine Mammal Medic Training Handbook that covers rescue of marine mammals.

Dunedin Wildlife Care Code - Dunedin is home to rare and special wildlife. Help us protect our penguins, sea lions and birds for future generations.

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OSOF Brochure - Download our general information brochure to learn about how our organisation works with volunteers. Plastic Bags Letter Template - Use our online form to create a pre-written and formatted letter to encourage your local businesses to phase-out plastic carrier bags.

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West Coast Penguin Trust

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Education plays a key part in the West Coast Penguin Trust's activities. We know that children can develop a lifelong value for nature particularly in the age range 6-10 if they are given the opportunity. Not only that, but they love penguins and share their enthusiasm with their extended family and friends.

New website information coming soon and for now all information and resources are available here: http://www.bluepenguin.org.nz/education/

Penguin and Seabird Educational Resource

The Trust has developed a penguin and seabird education resource aligned to the NZ Curriculum especially for the West Coast but it will be of value for educators and children everywhere, particularly coastal areas of New Zealand, and whether at school, home or youth group. (Scroll down for link.)

"Blue Penguins & Other Seabirds. Activities for exploration and action for schools and community groups" is aimed at children in the age range 5 to 9 but can be adapted for younger or older children. The goal is for local people to learn about and take action for the wildlife in their own back yard. Research has also shown that children gain essential values for the environment and a lifelong connectedness to nature in this age group.

Fun learning activities are included within the education resource, including games and arts and crafts. With all the resources on line, they are readily available to home school parents and students and indeed anyone with an interest in sharing a love for and interest in the coastal environment with children.

The project focuses on blue penguins but includes sooty shearwaters (both species are in Gradual Decline, 2005 NZ Threat Classification System), Fiordland Crested Penguins or Tawaki (Nationally Endangered) and Westland Petrels (Range Restricted), all in their natural habitat. The coastal habitat of these species on the West Coast has, as it has around NZ, been modified or disturbed by humans and their activities.

We welcome any feedback on the resource and we would also love to receive photographs and stories as you have a go at the various activities. Please send them to us at info@bluepenguin.org.nz.

Download the Education Resource

The resource is available for download as a PDF, after completing the form below.
This web-friendly version is 59 pages - 10.4MB.

If you would prefer a higher-resolution PDF and or a hard copy of the resource, please email info@bluepenguin.org.nz.

Please note that, since publication, greater understanding of the reason behind the countershading, or dark/light general colour scheme of penguins has been assessed by The Tawaki Project. This excellent blog and short video links the countershading to thermoregulation, protection from abrasion, energetic reasons and social signalling:

" Why are penguins black and white. "

LEARNZ Videos

The LEARNZ videos that can be used in conjunction with the resource, can be found here:
LEARNZ Videos
Year 10 Ecology Curriculum

The Trust is also keen to connect to senior school teachers and students and has worked with Erica Jar at Buller High School, providing material for her Year 10 ecology curriculum classes. Those notes and lesson plans are available in a zip file, with grateful thanks to Erica:
Penguin Ecology Year 10 Lesson Notes (Erica Jar, Buller High School, 2017)
Other Resources

(to follow soon)

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Education plays a key part in the West Coast Penguin Trust's activities. We know that children can develop a lifelong value for nature particularly in the age range 6-10 if they are given the opportunity. Not only that, but they love penguins and share their enthusiasm with their extended family and friends.

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Marine Metre Squared is an easy way for anyone to survey the plants and animals living on their local seashore.

Read more

Find out about some of the Mm2 discoveries and how people are getting involved. Share your observations by emailing us.

Read more

In June 2019: 47 new surveys submitted ~~ 189 species logged ~~ 136 students collected data

Read more

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Marine Metre Squared is an easy way for anyone to survey the plants and animals living on their local seashore. Read more Find out about some of the Mm2 discoveries and how people are getting involved. Share your observations by emailing us.

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These Seabird Solutions Trust factsheets offer students an opportunity to explore the lives of seabirds. There are also lesson plans for teachers.

Students will investigate the impact humans have on the ecology of seabirds, and the role seabirds play in their environment.

Download the resource

Seabirds - lesson plans (PDF, 137K)
Lesson plan ideas for the factsheet series.

Factsheets (PDF, 1,398K)

Or view individual factsheets:

Seabirds - introduction and learning outcomes (PDF, 149K)

Factsheet 1: Seabird ecology: where and how do seabirds nest? (PDF, 370K)

Factsheet 2: Seabird ecology: We're all in this together - seabird colonies (PDF, 270K)

Factsheet 3: Seabird ecology: what makes a seabird a seabird? (PDF, 160K)

Factsheet 4: Seabird ecology: fishing for food (PDF, 400K)

Factsheet 5: Seabirds and people: seabirds count - seabird populations in New Zealand (PDF, 570K)

Factsheet 6: Seabird ecology: the big OE - New Zealand seabird migrations (PDF, 150K)

Factsheet 7: Seabird ecology: raising their young (PDF, 236K)

Factsheet 8: Seabird ecology: seabirds and their environment (PDF, 135K)

Factheet 9: Seabirds and people: the impacts of fishing on seabirds (PDF, 210K)

Fact sheet 10: Seabirds and people: the cultural importance of seabirds (PDF, 310K)

Summary of factsheets and lesson plans

The Southern Seabird Solutions Trust factsheets offer students an opportunity to explore the lives of seabirds.

The lesson plans were created to assist teachers in helping students investigate and learn about seabirds, the important role seabirds play in their environment, and what impacts humans have on their ecology.

Learning outcomes
Primary:

Students will investigate the impact humans have on the ecology of seabirds.

Students will investigate the role seabirds play in their environment.

Students will understand how people view and use places differently

Secondary:

Students will investigate sea bird adaptations

Students will research sea bird life processes and ecology

Links to curriculum
Primary:

Science: Planet earth and beyond

Living world

Nature of science: Understanding about science, Participating and contributing

Social sciences: Place and environment, The economic world

Secondary:

Science: Living world: Ecology, Life processes

Social sciences: Place and environment (Māori)

Topics

Curriculum learning areas

Publication information

This series of factsheets and lesson plans were created for Southern Seabird Solutions Trust. The Department of Conservation's Marine Conservation Unit funded this environmental education project.

Factsheets by Shelly Farr Biswell
Lesson plans by Ken Hodson
Design by Lisa Paton of Morphological Design
Masthead photo courtesy of Southern Seabird Solutions Fishers Photograph Competition

Southern Seabird Solutions project steering committee: Alan Riwaka, Sarah Crysell, Jo Garty, Wendy Barry, Stephanie Rowe and Danica Devery-Smith.

Various people have reviewed sections or complete drafts of these factsheets and have provided helpful comments. These people include Stephen Bragg (DOC), Peter de Lange (DOC), Dave Kellian (Southern Seabird Solutions), Anuru Luke (DOC), Colin Miskelly (DOC), Janice Molloy (Southern Seabird Solutions), Lyndon Perriman (DOC), Paul Sagar (NIWA), Graeme Taylor (DOC) and Richard Wells (Clement and Associates Limited).

Others, including Peter McClelland (DOC) and Steve Cranwell (DOC), have shared useful information about specific species for these fact sheets.

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These Seabird Solutions Trust factsheets offer students an opportunity to explore the lives of seabirds. There are also lesson plans for teachers. Students will investigate the impact humans have on the ecology of seabirds, and the role seabirds play in their environment. Seabirds - lesson plans (PDF, 137K) Lesson plan ideas for the factsheet series.

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Teaching guide for EOTC coastal survey activities

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Help your students learn about their local marine and coastal environment through an estuary or rocky reef snorkel survey.

Repeat the survey over time and gather useful data to build students' skills and understanding of what's happening along the coast.

Each survey has a kit and teaching guide that contains:

Teaching and learning resource (including a range of learning activities)

PowerPoint slides for teaching about marine life and marine surveying

Spreadsheets for data entry

A template for creating MarineWatch underwater slates

Species identification PowerPoint slides for different regions

Identification aids for underwater slates for different regions

A MarineWatch Certificate (for issue on completion of the programme)

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Help your students learn about their local marine and coastal environment through an estuary or rocky reef snorkel survey. Repeat the survey over time and gather useful data to build students' skills and understanding of what's happening along the coast.

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This poster has details of the different types of whales, dolphins and seals in New Zealand and where they are found.

Summary

This poster illustrates and briefly describes species of whales, dolphins and seals.

It has information on:

breeding grounds

ranges and migration routes

relative sizes

how to share our coasts with marine mammals.

Publication information

Published by:

Marine Species and Threats Team
Department of Conservation

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This poster has details of the different types of whales, dolphins and seals in New Zealand and where they are found. This poster illustrates and briefly describes species of whales, dolphins and seals. It has information on: breeding grounds ranges and migration routes relative sizes how to share our coasts with marine mammals.

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Tides:
Know the Tides. Many West Coast beaches are best visited within about 1.5hrs either side of low tide and Rocky Shore trips are best on the lowest low tides rather than just the average low.
- MetService Tides
- Tides4Fishing (projects tides further out than MetService does)

Weather:
Plan and prepare for the Weather, including sea conditions and swell.
- Metvuw weather charts give wind and rain predictions
-MetService gives town and marine weather forecasts
-The best weather report on the day is to look at the beach before you head down and consider any weather changes forecast that might affect the current conditions (For example, if you get ocean views on your drive to work, then take a look in the morning and think about what it might be like later if the wind increased, etc.)

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LOCAL SUPPORT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION & ACTION

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LOCAL SUPPORT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION & ACTION

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Petrel Ed Resource

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Download the resource

Download the tāiko/black petrel education resource and supporting material:

Learning objectives

Vision

This resource will build foundations for:

young people who are informed about seabirds and the issues they face

students and communities who are able to think creatively and connect with others to be actively involved in caring for seabirds.

Key concepts

The ecology of the black petrel and other seabirds

Life cycle, habitat and breeding information

Red-billed gulls, little blue penguins, gannets

How people affect seabirds

Threats to seabirds

Protection of seabirds

Future -focussed thinking

How to help seabirds in their community

Learning levels

Topics

Curriculum links

The following values, key competencies and principles are incorporated into the resource:

Values: Ecological sustainability; Respect; Inquiry and curiosity; Innovation; Diversity; Community and participation

Key competencies: Thinking; Using language, symbols and text; Managing self; Relating to others; Participating and contributing

Principles: Learning to learn, Cultural diversity, Community engagement, Future focus

Curriculum learning areas

Achievement objectives from relevant subject areas are listed in the teacher notes of each activity. Specific
learning intentions and success criteria deriving from the AO's are listed in each learning experience.

The following subject areas and strands are included in the resource:

Science

Nature of Science: Understanding about science, Investigating in science, Communicating in science, Participating and contributing

Living world: Life processes, Ecology

Social Sciences

Social studies

English

Processes and strategies: Listening, Reading and Viewing and Speaking, Writing and Presenting

Ideas

Technology

Technological Practice: Brief development

Minor links to:

Mathematics, Health, The Arts, Education for sustainability/ Environmental education

Contact

If you have questions about this resources email conservED@doc.govt.nz.

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Download the tāiko/black petrel education resource and supporting material: This resource will build foundations for: young people who are informed about seabirds and the issues they face students and communities who are able to think creatively and connect with others to be actively involved in caring for seabirds.

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Learn how to protect our unique marine environment

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This resource links to the New Zealand Curriculum at levels 1-4, but can be adapted for use at various levels. The unit is based on an integrated, inquiry learning process.

It contains teaching and learning material to support a unit of work that is grounded in Environmental Education for Sustainability (EEfS) / Conservation education themes, and incorporates aspects of Te Ao Māori (a Māori worldview).

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This resource links to the New Zealand Curriculum at levels 1-4, but can be adapted for use at various levels. The unit is based on an integrated, inquiry learning process. It contains teaching and learning material to support a unit of work that is grounded in Environmental Education for Sustainability (EEfS) / Conservation education themes, and incorporates aspects of Te Ao Māori (a Māori worldview).

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Explore your local marine environment