EMR Action

EMR Taking Action !!!!!

In Term 1 2008, Dargaville Intermediate were involved in a range of action projects, including: Letters to Iwi asking for greater policing of permits issued for Toheroa collection
Letters to council requesting bins at entry and exit points to the beach
Fundraiser for WWF-NZ for Maui dolphin protection by selling student made Maui dolphin shape cookies to staff and family of Dargaville Intermediate
Fundraiser for WWF-NZ for Maui dolphin protection by approaching local business to donate prizes for a raffle
Fundraiser for EMR resources in the school, with a raffle for a marine student made picture frame made in woodwork
Informative posters on display at local business
Letters to the school principal & local council asking permission to stencil local drains with this message ‘Drains to Sea – No litter’
Paper adds, asking people to stay off the sand dunes due to damage to young toheroa and other wildlife
Radio time slot to talk about local marine issues and the benefits of marine reserves
Water testing – starting as an EMR action, now Science fair project
Letters to council asking for new ‘Stay off the sand dunes – they are rebuilding’ signs, getting permission, designing it and with the council, the student is actually putting them up!
Innovative designs to catch playtime rubbish in the drains, thus preventing it from entering the stormwater system, one student even monitors the rubbish her drain catches weekly
Songs and posters about pollution prevention and Maui dolphin protection
Eco bag design
Recycling box design for outside local shops so people can recycle their plastic by placing old bags in the box or taking a bag from the box instead of getting a new one
Fundraising & research project to get a aquarium at the office foyer with marine awareness information
Letters to Ministry of fisheries asking for a no trawl zone to extend 4 km from the beach
Key ring prototype reminding people of legal seafood size limits
Whangarei Intermediate students delivered a group presentation about their experience at the Goat Island marine reserve at their school assembly.Â Individual actions were presented in front of classmates, teachers, parents and EMR coordinators.Â Actions included; making t-shirts and presenting information on marine biodiversity, the Goat Island marine reserve, bottom trawling and saving the reefs

Opua students wrote a waiata and skit about their trip to Leigh and performed it to their parents and to the Minister of Conservation at the opening of the Whangarei Harbour Marine Reserves opening

The Whangarei Homeschoolers action was to facilitate a workshop and presentation to their local Shackleton Kea Scouts group.Â The workshop included an interactive game, which was designed by the homeschoolers to illustrate the different threats that are placed on biodiversity and abundance both inside and outside of a marine reserve.Â The scouts learnt that abundance and diversity was greater inside a reserve due to the minimisation of threats.Â A presentation was then delivered to inform them and their parents of biodiversity in the Whangarei Harbour and the new Whangarei Harbour marine reserve

Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Pukemiro is a newly appointed Enviroschool and plans to use their local marine area of Tauroa Point as one of their focus areas. They hope to initiate marine conservation discussions within their school- there whanau and eventually their community, as part of their whole school approach to environmental education as an Enviroschool and as follow up to their Experiencing Marine Reserves programme participation. Pukemiro are currently investigating marine conservation examples from other communities around NZ as part of their planning process.