Our Northland- Tõ Ttou Taitokerau It's nationwide Youth Week so we're shining the spotlight on our rangatahi in this edition, along with some of the other great work happening around the region to help our environment, economy and people thrive. Brought to you by Northland Regional Council. New programme nurtures youth leaders Investing in our rangitahi for a sustainable Taitokerau Exploring Northland s history, culture and natural environment was an important part of the programme. The students visited Waitangi Treaty Grounds, experienced birdsong on pest- free Moturua Island, and saw kiwi in a night walk through Rangihoua Heritage Park. Untouched World Foundation programme director Dr Barry Law says experiential learning opportunities are an important component of developing well-rounded young leaders. "We learn a lot in school, but often never experience it. We've got to connect people emotionally in order to create a change in habit." says Barry. The participants learned a lot from the activities and from staying at on marae. Taylor Kees, a 25-year-old NorthTec student, says the experience was emotionally rewarding. Participant Manaia Butler holds a potted wetland plant - simulating how wetlands filtor dirt and contaminants. leadership skills and leam about behaviour change. They also discussed the sustainable future of their rohe (area) and its people while exploring Northland's environment. "I don't have much connection to my ancestors. Being here, I felt really welcomed and ike I was part of a whanau." Northland youth learned about everything from water quality to climate change during the launch of a sustainability-focused youth- development initiative in late April. Ngati Kawa Taituha, Chair of Te Tii Marae, says it was great to see the participants take an Several NRC staff joined the group, sharing knowledge in areas such as predator control and interest in the area's history and culture. He marine biosecurity. The students learned about the stages of kauri dieback by viewing infected trees and visited farms to test soil. hopes the programme sparked a flame within them to "go out there and do something great". Nga Tupuranga o Te Taitokerau, which aims to develop Northland's future leaders in sustainability, is a collaborative programme between Northland Regional Council (NRC), Untouched World Foundation and the Ministry of Youth Development. Among the participants was 17-year-okld Whangarei Girls' High School student Manaia Butler who joined the programme to gain leadership skills. Manala believes youth- focused initiatives are key part of protecting "Sometimes you just need the right support, guidance and mentorship to help you get to where you want to go. There are lots of opportunities for great leadership, so hopefully they've gained the skills necessary and want to go out and represent our home in whatever area they choose." he adds. The week-long pilot programme, which was fully the environment in Te Taitokerau. funded by scholarships, was held at Te Ti Marae Workshops like this really open (our) eyes Feedback from this year's participants, as well as key partners, will influence the design of future Nga Tupuranga o Te Taitokerau programmes. and involved 14 secondary-school and tertiary to show not only Maori, but all youth how to look after the environment. I feel privileged to have been here," she says. students. Participants had opportunities to develop Residents' Survey 2021 Have you had your say? STUDENTS GET STUCK IN AT MATAPOURI WITH COASTCARE A trip to Te Wairoa Reserve at Matapouri offered a hands-on opportunity to leam about precious dune environments for Year 12 and 13 Biology and Social Science students from Renew School in March. Supported by Northland Regional Council's Coastcare, the students helped to set up and measure dune vegetation lines and got stuck in with hand-removing exotic iceplant from the dune area. Our Northland Regional Council residents' survey is back for 2021! Help us understand what's working well for you, and what we might improve on. The survey is open until Friday 28 May. DO THE SURVEY Kei runga noa atu! www.nrc.govt.nz/residentssurvey Our Northland- Tõ Ttou Taitokerau It's nationwide Youth Week so we're shining the spotlight on our rangatahi in this edition, along with some of the other great work happening around the region to help our environment, economy and people thrive. Brought to you by Northland Regional Council. New programme nurtures youth leaders Investing in our rangitahi for a sustainable Taitokerau Exploring Northland s history, culture and natural environment was an important part of the programme. The students visited Waitangi Treaty Grounds, experienced birdsong on pest- free Moturua Island, and saw kiwi in a night walk through Rangihoua Heritage Park. Untouched World Foundation programme director Dr Barry Law says experiential learning opportunities are an important component of developing well-rounded young leaders. "We learn a lot in school, but often never experience it. We've got to connect people emotionally in order to create a change in habit." says Barry. The participants learned a lot from the activities and from staying at on marae. Taylor Kees, a 25-year-old NorthTec student, says the experience was emotionally rewarding. Participant Manaia Butler holds a potted wetland plant - simulating how wetlands filtor dirt and contaminants. leadership skills and leam about behaviour change. They also discussed the sustainable future of their rohe (area) and its people while exploring Northland's environment. "I don't have much connection to my ancestors. Being here, I felt really welcomed and ike I was part of a whanau." Northland youth learned about everything from water quality to climate change during the launch of a sustainability-focused youth- development initiative in late April. Ngati Kawa Taituha, Chair of Te Tii Marae, says it was great to see the participants take an Several NRC staff joined the group, sharing knowledge in areas such as predator control and interest in the area's history and culture. He marine biosecurity. The students learned about the stages of kauri dieback by viewing infected trees and visited farms to test soil. hopes the programme sparked a flame within them to "go out there and do something great". Nga Tupuranga o Te Taitokerau, which aims to develop Northland's future leaders in sustainability, is a collaborative programme between Northland Regional Council (NRC), Untouched World Foundation and the Ministry of Youth Development. Among the participants was 17-year-okld Whangarei Girls' High School student Manaia Butler who joined the programme to gain leadership skills. Manala believes youth- focused initiatives are key part of protecting "Sometimes you just need the right support, guidance and mentorship to help you get to where you want to go. There are lots of opportunities for great leadership, so hopefully they've gained the skills necessary and want to go out and represent our home in whatever area they choose." he adds. The week-long pilot programme, which was fully the environment in Te Taitokerau. funded by scholarships, was held at Te Ti Marae Workshops like this really open (our) eyes Feedback from this year's participants, as well as key partners, will influence the design of future Nga Tupuranga o Te Taitokerau programmes. and involved 14 secondary-school and tertiary to show not only Maori, but all youth how to look after the environment. I feel privileged to have been here," she says. students. Participants had opportunities to develop Residents' Survey 2021 Have you had your say? STUDENTS GET STUCK IN AT MATAPOURI WITH COASTCARE A trip to Te Wairoa Reserve at Matapouri offered a hands-on opportunity to leam about precious dune environments for Year 12 and 13 Biology and Social Science students from Renew School in March. Supported by Northland Regional Council's Coastcare, the students helped to set up and measure dune vegetation lines and got stuck in with hand-removing exotic iceplant from the dune area. Our Northland Regional Council residents' survey is back for 2021! Help us understand what's working well for you, and what we might improve on. The survey is open until Friday 28 May. DO THE SURVEY Kei runga noa atu! www.nrc.govt.nz/residentssurvey