Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) - Te Kura Moana ran their 23nd annual Poor Knights competition trip on Friday 17th May, sponsored by Dive! Tutukaka and The Bobby Stafford-Bush Foundation. EMR is a programme of the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust. The day started with a minute's silence to show respect and aroha to our late sponsor Brian Stafford-Bush whom was a huge EMR fan!
Students came from as far north as Matauri Bay (Far North) and as far south as Canterbury to experience one of Aotearoa's oldest marine reserves. Students are selected based on action projects they have undertaken and the enthusiasm they show when studying & experiencing the marine environment. The national delivery of EMR is thanks to a network of provider organisations across the country.
EMR started in Tai Tokerau/Northland in 2001 with just three schools and the idea of comparing unprotected marine areas to fully protected marine areas with water safety messages embedded throughout the programme. Seeing huge tāmure/snapper swimming has inspired thousands of kids to take action for the marine environment and exercise kaitiakitanga - guardianship for their local beach or harbour.
For this year's trip we had 28 students and 26 guardians representing 25 schools from 7 regions of Aotearoa including Northland, Auckland, Taranaki, Gisborne, Wellington, Nelson/Tasman and Canterbury. Since 2002, we have taken representatives from 424 schools, totalling 591 students! Each student attends with a parent or guardian and its a chance to connect whanau to the environment
“Action projects this year included monitoring rimurimu with the Love Rimurimu project in Wellington, eDNA monitoring, video projects to promote local marine reserve and nesting box monitoring for the little blue penguin says EMR founder Samara Nicholas.
In addition to the opportunity to represent their school or region for the EMR ACTION prize, we offer the EMR Ocean Art prize. The Bobby Stafford-Bush Foundation supports this special prize for young kiwis that have experienced the marine environment with EMR and display that passion and experience through art.
This is the sixth year we have offered the Darren Shields Wettie Spearfishing & Wetsuits freediving representative prize, for a Northland high school student that shows talent for freediving. This year's winner was Danika from Whangarei Girls High School.
We were also joined by two rangatahi from Te Waiariki, Ngāti Korora, Ngāti Takapari Hapū Iwi Trust to tautoko the day as well as Nakita and Belinda from EMS - Experiencing Marine Sanctuaries, our sister programme over in South Australia.
On board the vessel ‘Perfect Day’ our snorkel site this year was the stunning ‘Garden’s at Maroro Bay, part of the Poor Knights Islands that have been protected by no-take status since 1981. Participants were delighted to see many schools of blue maomao, black angel fish, tāmure/snapper galore and the friendly sandagers wrasse. A big highlight for many was exploring the caves and witnessing the bright blue glow of the water. With this being the first time most of the students and guardians had ever visited the Poor Knights!
Top quotes from the day:
“I really enjoyed snorkelling at the Poor Knights Islands and seeing how clear the water was and the amount of fish swimming there. It inspired me a lot to make sure I am doing what I can to keep the islands and other places clean. So that others like me can enjoy it too.” Katsumi Leonard (Highlands Intermediate)
“I really like going into the caves and seeing the school of fish swimming under us and it was really cool because I also saw heaps of things I wouldn’t see in Wellington.” Te Ao Rangi Tewhara (Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Nga Mokopuna)
“Sinking into the quiet, clear moana to find myself surrounded by so many different schools of fish is something I will never forget. The piper fish were mesmerising and the colourful wrasse so curious! Listening to my daughter Penny sing her song in the beautiful Rikoriko cave gave me goosebumps and I felt very proud of her mahi. We are both leaving the Poor Knights feeling inspired and grateful. Thank you to all, especially Samara.” - Kelly Gill-Brydon (Guardian of Penny)
“This is a once in a lifetime experience, when I first put my head under the water at the Poor Knights I discovered a whole new kingdom. I loved seeing the schools of fish swimming around all the seaweed. Thank you to the EMR team for making this possible. “ - Gracie Dwyer-Tuiloma (Breens Intermediate)
If you would like to get your school involved in our programme and have a chance of going on this once in a lifetime trip please head to www.emr.org.nz and feel free to get in touch with our awesome EMR coordinators around Aotearoa. Big thanks to our regional provider partners Mountains to Sea Wellington, Tasman Bay Guardians, Nga Motu Marine Reserve Society, He Awa Ora, He Tai Ora, Healthy Rivers, Living Sea, EOS Ecology
Student list 2024
Northland
Oromahoe School - Nichol Bergman
Whangarei Heads - Molly Kersel
Whangarei Primary School - Lucious Pickering
Maromaku School - Marcus Taitua-Clark
Onerahi Primary Thomas Potter
Whangarei Girls High School - Annabelle Tuato'o
Tikipunga High School (IHAD) - Lulu Badenhorst
Matauri Bay - Delta Samuels-Thomas
One Tree Point - Jayden Bradburn
Whangarei Girls High - Danika
Auckland
Waterlea School - Hayden Hokke
Te Papapa School - Alex Tikonamaka
Howick Primary - Alex Sooalo
Christ the King School - Xarnder Sullings
St Thomas School - Emily Scott
Fruitvale Primary - Ronav Naidu
Waterlea School - Olive Hockley
Stonefields School- Ethan Prestidge
Taranaki
Highlands Intermediate - Imogen Sargent
Highlands Intermediate - Kasumi Leonard
Gisborne
Makauri Asha Hughes
Wainui School - Beatrix Pauwels
Wellington
Crofton Downs Primary School - Malachi Keach
Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Ngā Mokopuna - Te Ao Rangi Tawhara
Nelson/Tasman
Zephyr Ward Taylor
Penny Brydon
Canterbury
St Martins School - Alfie Smith
Breens Intermediate - Gracie Dwyer-Tuiloma
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