Lessons from the land

Ka rawe to our friends at Te Kura Taumata o Pangaru

Land and Marine Geoscience
Environment and Climate

Back in October, we were thrilled to see Te Kura Taumata o Panguru win the Excellence in Engaging category of the 2021 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Award.

This award recognises Panguru’s inspiring work to connect community for greater good, and their commitment to collaborating with regional and national agencies to support learning in te taiao (the environment) and to empower ākonga (students) with skills in language, business and sustainability.

GNS Science is fortunate to have worked with Te Kura Taumata o Panguru since 2017, and we’ve seen the incredible impact of their approach to teaching and learning first-hand.

“We met Mina Pomare-Peita, principal at Te Kura Taumata o Panguru, back in 2017 and we were inspired by her drive and passion for her community and her commitment to their rangatahi,” says GNS geologist Kyle Bland.

“After we’d spent a day in the field with some of her students and teachers, she invited us back to her whare for a discussion and some kai. Over the course of a couple of hours, Mina shared with us her views on how the community then felt about working with a Crown Research Institute, concerns for her community, the importance of science, and her incredible desire to have Māori scientists come from her school”.

Since then, GNS Science has worked closely with Mina and our other partners in the Far North to deliver both science mahi and community engagement.

We’ve been involved in and supported the delivery of GeoCamp, Tūhura Papatūānuku Geo Noho (marae-based science wānanga), Te Rarawa’s Noho Taiao, and school engagement for the Hokianga Harbour sedimentation project – all of which have involved Panguru students.

“Our goal is always to encourage these taitamariki to believe that anyone can be a scientist,” says Kyle Bland.

“We want to help empower rangatahi with knowledge to make their own discoveries. We want to teach them that every rock and every shoreline has a story to tell about how our environment was formed, and how it might change in the future”.

Images caption: Tūhura Papatūānuku Geo Noho included Panguru taitamariki and was an opportunity for them to learn about te taiao, supported by Māori knowledge holders and GNS Science experts. Credit: Jess Hillman, GNS Science.

Images caption: Tūhura Papatūānuku Geo Noho included Panguru taitamariki and was an opportunity for them to learn about te taiao, supported by Māori knowledge holders and GNS Science experts. Credit: Jess Hillman, GNS Science.

Mapping our urban foundations

A new set of geological maps for some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s fastest-growing regions will help decision-makers plan for the future.

Read Article

Where water flows underground

Te Whakaheke o Te Wai is a world-leading research programme that is building a better understanding Aotearoa New Zealand's largest freshwater resource.

Read Article