Level 2 Geography students are currently studying urban planning and using Tauranga's past and future growth as a case study. Their final goal will be to use GIS (computer mapping) software to decide if Tauranga needs another supermarket and, if yes, where to put it.

To aid in this learning, we took a bus tour of Tauranga. We started in Papamoa East, looking at recent development and the site for the proposed Te Tumu development and visited other urban areas of Tauranga that students don’t always visit regularly. A crucial part of the trip was to walk part way around the base of Mauao to hear about early Māori settlement in the area and think about why Māori chose to live where they did from a geographic perspective.

Later in the week, we were lucky to have a visit from Ayv Greenway from Tauranga City Council to share future plans for the city with us. Students will apply this learning to their assessment in the coming weeks and their lives as informed citizens of Tauranga Moana.