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This virtual field trip aligns with Te Mātaiaho, the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. Studying rimurimu provides a rich opportunity to integrate several learning areas. This multidisciplinary approach can enhance students' understanding of both the natural world and the societal, cultural, historical implications of rimurimu rstoration.
Curriculum flexibility
Our field trips include cross-curricular learning experiences that can be adapted to different learning areas and progressions, especially in the context of environmental science, sustainability, and cultural signuificance. You can develop your teaching approach to suit ākonga interests and needs. Here are some of the most relevant curriculum areas that could relate to a study on rimurimu. These curriculum links allow ākonga to explore the ecological, cultural, and economic importance of seaweed while encouraging them to engage with real-world environmental challenges through restoration initiatives:
Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories
Understand
Big idea:
- Māori history is the foundational and continuous history of Aotearoa New Zealand
Understand the Māori worldview of environmental stewardship, and the historical and cultural significance of rimurimu in Aotearoa. Introduce key sustainability concepts and how seaweed restoration ties into this.
Know
Contexts:
- Place and environment
Knowledge of the historical relationship between Māori and the marine environment, including seaweed use in daily life and its place in Māori culture, such as uses in food, its significance in customary practices, and its place within kōrero and pūrakau (stories).
Do
Practices:
- Identifying and exploring historical relationships
Students can participate in activities that engage with Māori practices about seaweed or collaborate with local iwi to explore its cultural significance. Invite guest speakers from local iwi or marine biologists who can discuss the cultural and environmental importance of seaweed.
Te ao Tūroa | Science
Learning area: Nature of science
Achievement objectives:
- Investigating in science
Students can explore the biology of seaweed, its ecological roles, and methods of restoration through practical investigations and experiments. - Communicating in science
Students learn to communicate findings related to seaweed ecosystems, their benefits, and challenges in restoration efforts, using appropriate scientific language. - Participating and contributing
Students evaluate and engage in community-based seaweed restoration projects, considering their impact on both local and global scales.
Learning area: Living world
Achievement objectives:
- Life processes
Understand the structure and function of seaweed, including photosynthesis, growth, and reproduction. - Ecology
Study the interactions between seaweed and marine ecosystems, such as how seaweed provides habitats, supports biodiversity, and contributes to nutrient cycling. - Evolution
Explore how different species of seaweed have adapted to their environments and the evolutionary significance of marine plants.
Learning area: Planet Earth and beyond
Achievement objectives:
- Earth systems
Investigate the relationship between seaweed, ocean health, and the Earth's carbon cycle, especially its role in sequestering carbon and combating climate change. - Sustainable practices
Examine human impacts on marine ecosystems and how seaweed restoration can promote sustainability and ecosystem resilience.
Te ao tangata | Social sciences
Achievement objectives:
- Place and environment
Understand the relationship between people and the marine environment, focusing on how seaweed ecosystems affect communities economically, culturally, and environmentally. - Economic activity
Explore how seaweed can be used as a resource (e.g., food, bioplastics, fertilizers) and the potential economic benefits of seaweed restoration for local communities. - Culture and collective identity
Examine the significance of seaweed in Māori culture, including traditional uses (kai moana) and its role in guardianship of the environment.
Hangarau | Technology
Achievement objectives:
- Nature of technology
Explore the technologies and innovations involved in seaweed restoration, including cultivation techniques, bioengineering, and sustainable harvesting practices. - Technological practice
Design and test solutions for seaweed restoration, such as designing seaweed farms or structures that support regrowth in degraded marine habitats.
Hauora | Health and physical education
Achievement objectives:
- Healthy communities and environments
Investigate how marine restoration, including seaweed restoration, promotes the health of communities by improving water quality, increasing biodiversity, and supporting sustainable food sources.
Pāngarau | Mathematics
Achievement objectives:
- Statistics
Collect and analyse data on seaweed populations, growth rates, and the impact of restoration efforts, using statistical methods to monitor changes over time. - Measurement and geometry
Measure seaweed growth and calculate areas of marine environments where restoration is taking place, estimating biomass or carbon sequestration potential.
Ngā Toi | Arts (visual arts and performing arts)
Achievement objectives:
- Explore and develop ideas
Create art inspired by marine ecosystems, focusing on the beauty and diversity of seaweed species and their role in the environment. - Communicate and interpret
Use art to raise awareness of seaweed restoration efforts and the importance of protecting marine habitats.
English
Achievement objectives:
- Language and texts
Write persuasive essays, reports, or creative pieces about the importance of seaweed in marine ecosystems and the need for restoration efforts. - Listening, reading, and viewing
Interpret scientific texts, documentaries, and articles related to seaweed research and restoration.
Useful links
- Mountains to Sea launched the roll-out of the Rimurimu Project in 2020. If you would like to get involved with the project, please contact MTSW at info@mtsw.org.nz.
- Watch a swim-through ID video of some of the most common seaweeds found in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington.
- Love Rimurimu is piloting a regeneration project in Wellington that involves mana whenua, industry, community and schools. Additional information and resources are on their website, such as the Love Rimurimu learning hub. The Science Learning Hub is an interactive platform that provides resources to assist educators with their planning of lessons/units of work on seaweed biodiversity, human impacts and restoration.
- Listen to Zoe Studd from Mountains to Sea, Wellington, in this 2022 Radio New Zealand interview to find out more about the charitable trust. Zoe is also featured in these Our Changing World interviews: Marine reserve sightseeing (2022); Restoring Wellington’s seaweed forests (2024).
- Read more about this Curious Minds’ project with Mana College in their school's newsletter: When kelp needs help: saving our sea forests.
- Watch Tihei Rimurimu | Te Ūpoko o Te Ika, a video produced by Te Aho Tū Roa that features tauira working with the Love Rimurimu project.
- Visit Project Baseline, where divers (scuba divers, free-divers, and snorkelers) from all walks of life globally have come together to be a voice for underwater environments worldwide. Since 2009, Project Baseline has been systematically documenting changes in the underwater world to facilitate scientific studies and establish protection for these critical underwater environments.
- See the Sustainable Seas: Building a seaweed sector framework (released in October 2022), which sets out key priorities in leadership, research and regulation for the seaweed sector to support a blue economy in Aotearoa.
- This article from 2023 in The Conversation covers how new research is demonstrating that New Zealand’s vital kelp forests are in peril from ocean warming – threatening the important species that rely on them.
