You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Ambassador Tidy Kiwi
Kia ora,
I'm Tidy Kiwi and I'm exactly that, each week I visit a different classroom at Morrinsville School and help the children to look after our school grounds and ensure it stays litter free! It is that time of year again and I need a holiday! So far, I have been to Antarctica in 2018 and on the Matariki Navigation trip in 2019. I'm really looking forward to heading to Waikanae for the River Restoration field trip.
See you there,
Tidy Kiwi.
Monday 27 July
Kia ora koutou,
It was a stunning day to be travelling and I enjoyed looking out over the snow covered maunga as we flew north to Wellington. We saw lots of rivers during our journey. Many of these were braided rivers flowing out from Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, the mighty Southern Alps. I learnt that there are only a few countries in the world that have braided rivers. This week we will be exploring a different type of river; the Waikanae River, which flows down from the Tararua Ranges just north of Wellington.
See you tomorrow,
Tidy Kiwi.
Tuesday 28 July
Kia ora,
We had a fabulous day exploring the Waikanae Awa. I was surprised to see how much the awa changes from a rocky, narrow stream up in the hills to a broad channel heading towards the sea. We managed to catch some shrimps and collect some invertebrates in the river. By looking at the creatures that live in the river you can find out a lot about the health of the awa. Unfortunately, I didn't get to taste these critters because Natasha wanted to return them to the river. Tomorrow we are going to look at how people have affected the river and test water quality.
See you then,
Tidy Kiwi.
Wednesday 29 July
Kia ora,
Today we headed downstream to see how people affect rivers and rivers affect people. I learnt that floods are New Zealand’s number one hazard because we have so many and they cause a lot of damage. People can build stop banks to protect areas and planting alongside rivers also helps. But I think it would be easier if people didn’t build houses so close to rivers! We also had heaps of fun collecting invertebrates and checking the health of the awa. Tomorrow we are going to help the locals with their restoration work.
Ka kite anō
Tidy Kiwi.
Thursday 30 July
Kia ora,
We helped plant 50 plants in the Waikanae Estuary Scientific Reserve today. It was hard work, but it will be worth it. In just a few years this area will look quite different with lots of native plants, creating habitat for native birds and insects. The Estuary Care Group will have to check on these plants regularly to make sure weeds don’t take over and they get enough water. It has been a fantastic week here in Waikanae and I have learned so much about river restoration. I can’t wait to get home to see if I can help restore a local awa.
See you soon,
Tidy Kiwi.
Tidy Kiwi enjoyed the Antarctic and Matariki field trips so much that he wanted go on another one! Image: LEARNZ
Tidy Kiwi explores the forest around the Waikanae River catchment. Image: LEARNZ.
Tidy Kiwi searches for critters in the Waikanae Awa. Image: LEARNZ.
Tidy Kiwi checks the net for invertebrates. Image: LEARNZ.
Tidy Kiwi checks out some seedlings at the nursery. Image: LEARNZ.
Tidy Kiwi enjoys some time at the river mouth at the end of the field trip. Image: LEARNZ.