Kids help HALO Whakatane take flight
The newest recruits putting their tools to work at Whakatāne Community MENZSHED are doing it “for the chicks”.
The novices are part of a Whakatāne Intermediate School programme called Science 4 Life and they building stoat traps to protect native birds from being eaten.
The action began two months ago when the group of ten students from Whakatāne Intermediate School undertook the Whakatāne Kiwi Trust, Kiwi Tracker Walk in Ōhope Scenic Reserve.
Who would have thought that I would be visiting them this morning to check out their handy work at The Whakatāne Community MENZSHED. Not only are they learning new skills and being mentored by the great team down at ‘The Shed’, they are hammering nails for a purpose.
Following the Kiwi Tracker Walk, the teachers and students wanted to bring what they had learnt in the forest about pest control and wildlife protection closer to their school grounds. What could be better than complimenting the work already undertaken by the school to enhance the water quality in the Awatapu Lagoon?
It didn’t take long for teachers and students to understand significance of the lagoon as an amazing habitat for bird life, for the team to see the opportunity for an exciting school project. One that could be learnt from and built on into the future.
You can see that the ‘floating islands’ created by the school, with support of Kope Lions are benefiting the lagoon, not only by removing pollutants from the water, but by providing habitat for wetland birds too.
Birds such as coots, scaups, shags, pukeko and even dabchicks and kotuku (white heron), have been observed seeking refuge or nesting on the islands, problem is, up until now there hasn’t been any control of pests that prey on the wildlife that call the lagoon home.
Mrs Raewyn Iremonger and Mr Rick Simpson co-ordinate and run the Science 4 Life program which started this year, and is a joint initiative between Whakatāne Intermediate School, REAP and the Ministry of Social Development.
Raewyn says, “The lagoon project is perfect for the students as the aim of the program is to provide practical and relevant learning experiences focused around a science theme; with the aim that students will engage more fully with learning, school life and their peers”.
“The program involves a mixture of both learning at school as well as field trips and experiences working with community groups and experts in different areas”, she says.
The school has two groups currently operating. One group focusing on learning around horticulture and conservation, while the other group is looking at marine studies.
Today Pharell Te riini, Jared Kahui, Tamihana Nathan and Leighton Subritzky are working with Tama Herewini and Rob Hall from ‘the Shed’. The sheddies have committed their time to trial this initiative, and work towards a formal partnership with the school, so the boys need be on their best behaviour.
The MENZSHED have also partnered with Whakatāne West Rotary to supply stoat traps for Conservation Community Groups, DOC, Regional Council and individuals.
The boys have built 10 traps for the lagoon project, a new link in a chain of actions across the region that will contribute to Halo Whakatāne – a community- led initiative with the aim of creating an environment where Teike (saddleback) live and thrive in the heart of Whakatāne.
It’s a bold vision that will take lots of work and need all kinds of groups to come to the party.
The future of this project is in the hands of the Whakatāne community. And if it’s the hands of the young ones and not-so-young at the MENZSHED it’s a bright looking future indeed.