Kaitiaki o te Wairepo

6th June 2023

Today we took a stroll along Te Wairepo and did some noticings. We noticed what was growing around, along and in Te Wairepo. We noticed the wildlife and saw ducks, birds, butterflies, insects and maybe even some little fishes (we weren't sure). We spent time talking about the weeds that are taking over Te Wairepo - we notices Old Man's Beard, Gorse,  Agapanthus and Blackberries.  We decided we need to talk with the Council about weed removal along and around Te Wairepo.  We also collected lots of litter on our stroll. 

21st February 2023

Today in Kaitiaki ō Te Wairepo we went for a little walk along the stream and had a look at what was growing. We talked about the plants and trees and what was native and what was introduced. We decided to make some nature bracelets as we walked. 

February 2023

Welcome back to 2023.  Te Kaitiaki o Te Wairepo went for a hikoi along the stream today at lunch time to see what we noticed and to come up with a plan of attack for the year.

Sadly, we were so disheartened with what we saw. Broken glass everywhere; tables (our own) tossed into the river; the Oamaru stone carvings that lined the gardens outside NMKOTW now sit at the bottom of the stream; sport equipment everywhere; empty boxes rotting in a pile. And this is only in a 10 square metre area around the skip. Not the best start to 2023.

We were very sad about this and together we spoken with Matua Dan and some of the teachers about looking after our kura. We talked about leading change and modelling kaitiaki in our school.  Whaea Rachel has now help put out a Kia Toa 'Tidy Kiwi' plan to support us in looking after our kura. 

20/9/22

Today in rōpū Kaitiaki ō Te Wairepo we completed a mini stream monitoring session.  We checked the clarity of the water an  had a look at what is living within Te Wairepo.  Whaea Andrea ventured down the bank and collected samples for the tamariki to study. We identified lots of little critters living in our stream. We plan to get into the stream more and do regular monitoring of the water and what is living in the stream as this tells us if our stream is healthy, more living creatures = healthier stream.  

6/9/22

Today we had Matua Rick from Enviroschools Nelson. He helped the tamariki make kaitiaki badges that reflect the awesome mahi we do around the kura. Matua Rick will be supporting the tamariki and kaiako as we learn about becoming better kaitiaki and caring for our kura and whenua! Ka rawe! 

September

Today we cleared out all the muck from the bike shed that was caused from the flooding. 

FLOODING - before and during pictures of Te Wairepo in flood. 

2/8/22

Today we brainstormed ideas around managing and reducing the waste we create at VPS, and how to prevent it ending up in Te Wairepo and the ocean.

15/2/22

Today we had our first session of the year. We picked up rubbish alongside the awa.  We came across a big blue pile of plastic "carpet" that has been sitting there for a few years. Little pieces of the plastic are coming off and blowing away into the stream where is will eventually end up in the moana, making the creatures in the moana sick. We have emailed Matua Dan and Matua Scotty to see if we can have a meeting to sort out his big blue problem!

26/11/21

Today we learned about rongoā and native plants. We read the book "Koro's Medicine" and then we went outside to find some of the plants. We found and drew harakeke, kānuka, karamū, putaputaweta, tī kouka, totara, kawakawa and kōwhai.

19/11/21

Today the Kaitiaki o te Wairepo group visited the stream and drew pictures. We drew what we saw and what we would like to see. We saw a huge tuna (eel) swimming in our awa!

5/11/21

On Friday we headed back down to the stream to pick up rubbish. We brought our gumboots and water shoes, gloves and rubbish bags. We found lots of metal, including wire, a fish hook, a fishing reel, and a steel grill. here was some play equipment from over the fence at school including elastics, a hula hoop and a soccer ball. We want to do some more exploring along the awa, we are also going to look at what is growing on the sides of the stream.

29/10/21

It was awesome to restart our Kaitiaki o te Wairepo group this week! We had a small and committed group - Lucas, Jake, Vera, Zain and Ruby. First we met outside Mana Tangata in the sunshine and shared why we were there - Jake said it well, and everyone agreed "It's our stream, we've got to look after it". Next we walked down to the stream. On the way we found a dead swallow and buried it in the garden. Down at the stream we found lots of rubbish, so next week we will bring rubbish bags, gumboots and gloves and pick up all the rubbish.