The project has been a year-long exploration around Te Whanganui ā Tara, undertaken as part of Mountains to Sea Wellington’s Love Rimurimu project.

“Kua puta mai ngā whakaaro rangatira ki ngā akoranga rerekē, nā tērā i whai pānga ngā mahi pai ki ngā tamariki katoa ahakoa tunu, whakatipu, toi, ruku, aha atu, aha atu.” – Kaiako

With the support of Te Aho Tū Roa, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna has been actively learning about rimurimu alongside tangata whenua of the area. Students have explored rimurimu in and out of the water, learned about its valuable qualities (like how it absorbs more carbon than land forests!), and produced rongoā and kai from different varieties of rimurimu. This culminated in a celebratory exhibition by tauira to share their learnings and products with whānau and community, and production of a video to tell their story. Through the project, the Tautuhi Rimurimu identification resource was produced by Te Aho Tū Roa and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna. This pamphlet helps identify marine plants. A sub-titled reo-Māori video has also been developed about the Hinonga Rimurimu/ Love Rimurimu project carried out with the kura. 

“…Ko te painga o te rimurimu ki te taiao, he rite ki te rākau, ka kai i te CO2”
“…Kei te mōhio i tōku pānga ki te tipuranga o te rimurimu, hei oranga mō te ao”
– Tamariki insights about rimurimu

Image captions:

Top: Students from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna gathering rimurimu at Princes Bay to utilise for lessons exploring rimurimu as Fertilisers and Kai.

Middle: Exploring rimurimu at Te Aroaro ō Kupe.

Above: Pages from the Tautuhi Rimurimu identification resource created as part of their journey.