Kaitiakitanga is the Māori concept of guardianship and responsibility to care and protect the natural environment for future generations. Environmental science is an important aspect of kaitiakitanga. 10Dbk explored biodiversity and water quality on their recent Population Genetics field trip, gaining hands-on experience in measuring water quality and counting the abundance of animal populations. Tomahawk Lagoon is an interesting brackish (salty) lagoon that is home to many species of birds, fish, insects and plankton. It is impacted on by surrounding land use such as walking tracks, farming, forestry and residential properties. What do we need to know in order to understand the delicate balance of this ecosystem? This was the main question explored by 10Dbk that will lead to separate scientific investigations by the class.

Thank you to Andrew Innes and the EcoOtago team, Janice Huang from ORC, and our Year 12 Tomahawk Lagoon Group leaders, Brooklyn Jackson and Kenzie Drake, for their guidance and support. The weather played the part too, which is always a bonus for our outside ‘classroom by the sea’.