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Experts and web conferences
Replay web conferences
In web conference 1, the following questions from NZ schools about rivers and river health are answered by Lewis and Anna.
- Are there any rivers in the North Island that were formed by glaciers? If so, where? (https://teara.govt.nz/en/glaciers-and-glaciation)
- Was there one earthquake that created the Waikato River? If so, where did this happen? (https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/images/415-waikato-river and https://www.gns.cri.nz/data-and-resources/new-zealand-active-faults-map/)
- How do people do a thorough test to make sure the water is clean and safe to swim in?
- Can you drink from the Waikato River?
- On average, how many animals die each year from polluted water and which species are most commonly affected?
- What are some of the ways to treat polluted water?
- What are the introduced species of trout and why were they introduced?
- What part of the Waikato River is the most polluted, and why?
- What do dams do to the river?
- Lewis, how did you become a carver and why do you like working with pakohe (argillite)?
In web conference 2, the following questions from NZ schools about rivers and river health are answered by Anna.
- When we studied how healthy our waters are we found lots of water snails, but we didn’t find a large variety of other invertebrates - do you know why?
- What do you think is the most effective water test?
- Is it ok for us to take a river stone for a souvenir or is this not acceptable?
- When does a river become unhealthy?
- What type of plants can help awa and which don’t help?
- What do you think about tourism - does it make a difference to the awa?
- Do fish or other water-life affect the water quality?
- What would your iwi like to change about the way your local river is used?
- By swimming in awa, are we helping it or not?
- What are some of the best ways to clean our rivers and keep it clean?
- How do you tell if the rock is a good one for carving and how do you carry out these heavy rocks?
- How do we know if it is safe to swim in a river or not?
- What is the healthiest river you monitor and what makes it healthy?
- If the awa is blue, does this mean it is safe to drink?
- How we can help people make good decisions about how they get rid of their fishtanks water?
- If the river is crystal clear and quite cold, is that good for fish and invertebrates to live in. Is this also healthy for the river?
- Are rivers still healthy if our river only has tuna and cockabillies in them?
Meet Anna, a freshwater scientist
Anna Crowe is a freshwater scientist. Anna works with the Marlborough District Council as a freshwater educator and enviro schools facilitator.
Meet Lewis, an artist and carver
Lewis Smith is a Māori artist and Pakohe Kaiwhakairo (Argillite Carver) who lives in Blenheim. He is of Ngāti Kuia and Ngati Apa descent and works for the Ngāti Kuia Trust Te Taiao team.
Meet Tom, Kaiako at Nelson Central School
Tom is Kaiako at Nelson Central School.
Meet Debs, Regional Conservation Manager for Forest and Bird
Debs is Regional Conservation Manager for Forest and Bird.
Meet Ariana, local ākonga and conservationist
Ariana is a local ākonga and conservationist.
