Marine NZ

EMR action for Maui’s Dolphin

07 May 2012 | 1 Comments

Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) Media Release 7/05/12

All of Dargaville Intermediate’s 7 classes (173 students) have now had the ultimate snorkel and experienced New Zealand’s oldest and most popular marine reserve, with the Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) programme last term!
Dargaville students first participated in the EMR programme in 2006 and every second year EMR endeavours to provide the programme which provides marine education services to the school including a marine biodiversity presentation in the classroom, followed by learning to snorkel in the pool, thanks to the support from the ASB Community Trust.

VELVET: the Travelling Tuna Tapestry on Display in Whangarei this Saturday

18 Jan 2012 | 12 Comments

A Project to Help Return the Mauri (Life & Soul) to the Wai (Water)

The Northland based Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust will be showcasing an ambitious international environmental & social art project, in which all visitors are invited to be a part, that focuses on New Zealand’s own native longfin eel!

Several years ago Stephanie Bowman, an artist and science educator from the southwest desert of the United States came to NZ as a traveller longing to experience what she believed to be a land of pristine, healthy waters. But, when she visited the South Island’s Lake Rotoiti she found herself falling in love with a mysterious, graceful (and sometimes slimy!) fish that revealed to her a different story hidden beneath the surface of our blue waters. “The longfin (eel) is simply amazing”, says Stephanie, four round-trip tickets later, but still with a look of astonishment in her eyes. “These threatened and important top predators are found nowhere else in the world and are a crucial part of this country’s cultural history”. Indeed, not only can the longfin eel live over 100 years before being able to reproduce once, but when they do set off out to sea to mate, they morph and become creatures of the ocean depths, travelling thousands of kilometers to the deep sea trenches near Tonga where they
finally mate and die. After making an ancient and risky journey, the elvers (baby eels) re-appear to live in New Zealand’s freshwaters a couple years later.

Okaihau school set to present marine experiences to the community

30 Nov 2011 | 8 Comments

Year 5 & 6 students at Okaihau primary school have been participating in the Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) this term.

The programme started at the beginning of the term with an introduction to marine biodiversity and conservation in the classroom with programme director Samara Nicholas before learning to snorkel in the pool.

The next stage of the programme was to investigate the local marine environment; we explored the underwater world of Matauri Bay