Aotearoa New Zealand is fortunate to have a huge diversity of marine habitats and an extensive coastline – about 15,000 km in length! More than 75% of the population lives within 10 km of the coast. We have strong connections to the sea – te moana is an important part of our culture, our identity and our history.
Like our terrestrial environments, our marine environments are home to species that are naturally found here and nowhere else in the world. Biosecurity plays a key role in protecting these environments from threats posed by non-indigenous species. Biosecurity also involves detecting species that slip through the safety nets.
Marine Biosecurity Toolbox
The Marine Biosecurity Toolbox is a collaborative research programme to effectively detect and mitigate biosecurity risks. It combines state-of-the-art science such as environmental DNA alongside mātauranga Māori to monitor, detect and respond to biosecurity challenges. As part of its Detect theme, the programme is working to develop molecular tools to be used by the next generation of biosecurity experts, including citizen science and outreach.
Resources to support learning about biosecurity
Gerd Banke teaches science at Nayland College. As part of the Royal Society Te Apārangi Science Teaching Leadership Programme, Gerd worked with Cawthron Institute scientists involved with the Marine Biosecurity Toolbox. Gerd learned about environmental DNA and its role in marine pest detection.
While at Cawthron, Gerd developed teaching resources under the context of Kaitiakitanga o te moana. They incorporate classification, adaptation, DNA, pest detection and pest management – with an emphasis on the nature of science and mātauranga Māori. Upon returning to school, Gerd trialled the resources with multiple year 9 science classes and mentored their use with schools in Northland.
In addition to fostering a deep appreciation for the sciences, this unit has instilled a sense of stewardship and responsibility towards our local ecosystem. This broader perspective has been invaluable in nurturing not just academic understanding, but also a holistic understanding of our place within the natural world.
Jayatheeswaran Vijayakumar, Bay of Islands College
Mātaiaho – weaving learning within and across learning areas
The resources within Kaitiakitanga o te moana span multiple learning areas:
- Key science concepts: ecosystems, habitat, biodiversity, food webs, genetics and sustainability – and how they are all connected.
- Mātauranga Māori: aspects of tikanga and mātauranga underpin each of the science topics. Where possible, educators are encouraged to include local mātauranga.
- Literacy in English: learners are challenged to think critically about texts and videos, with multiple opportunities to make connections within and between sources of visual and written information.
- Arts: science knowledge is communicated through a variety of visual and material responses.
- Local curriculum: Aotearoa is awash with aquatic ecosystems. Learning about the principles of kaitiakitanga and biodiversity are similar for freshwater and marine ecosystems. The resources focus on protecting all of te taiao, including the land.
Kaitiakitanga o te moana – planning pathways
Use this interactive to access background information and teaching resources by selecting a label.
Select here to view the full transcript and copyright information.
Differentiated learning using SOLO taxonomy
The teaching and learning resources use SOLO (structure of observed learning outcomes) taxonomy. The SOLO framework recognises levels of increasing complexity in students’ understanding of concepts. Students and educators using the Kaitiakitanga o te moana resources can benchmark individual progress using a student overview produced for the unit.
Text within the teaching resources is organised by:
- ako – learning intention
- hua – success criteria
- mahi – the work needed to make the learning happen to reach the success criteria.
Most of the teaching resources are Word documents – educators can adapt them to suit classroom needs.
Each of the unit’s topics includes Hub articles and media, which provide background information. Access all of the resources via the planning pathways interactive located in this article.
Having time away from school, with no bells, no marking, no after-school meetings and having scientists who were focusing on freshwater and marine research made this job so much easier and manageable. The end product is a full term’s work with a range of different resources.
Gerd Banke, teacher and resource creator
Related content and activity ideas
Check out the following collections – they contain curated Hub resources on topics covered in Kaitiakitanga o te moana:
Registered Hub users can copy and use these public collections created by the Science Learning Hub team. Find out more here.
Useful links
Find out what is in the Marine Biosecurity Toolbox.
Read about a Curious Minds project that uses Kaitiakitanga o te moana resources alongside science outreach.
Acknowledgement
Gerd Banke created Kaitiakitanga o te moana resources as part of the Royal Society Te Apārangi Science Teaching Leadership Programme. Gerde worked with scientists at Cawthron Institute who were part of the Marine Biosecurity Toolbox programme, which received funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
