Walking with water: Empowering intergenerational responses to climate change
Walking with Water supports young learners to understand and enact their custodial responsibilities for waterways in collaboration with community elders and scientists across seasons
Walking with Water
This project took place in Timaru over the course of Maramataka Māori (the Māori lunar cycle).
Groups of 5–10 tamariki and rangatahi, alongside their teachers, joined iwi to ‘walk with’ them across the waters of Waitarakao.
Their journey included two ceremonial events (Matariki celebrations) and three hīkoi (fieldwork experiences). Each moment was captured through film and photography, enriched by conversations with learner - both formal interviews and informal discussion - and expressed later through reflections, art, play, learning stories, cultural narratives, reports, and poetry.
Across all age groups, participants showed a deepening understanding of waterscapes and their role as kaitiaki (guardians). In their final interviews, primary and secondary students committed to ongoing care of the lagoon and to encouraging wider whānau and community involvement.
Teachers also experienced significant shifts in their practice. Through engagement with iwi, they gained living knowledge of cultural features of the waterscapes and learned how to align teaching with the rhythms of the cosmos.