At Pukeatua School, the concept of rauwiringa rauropi – an ecosystem of learning –is helping tamariki connect science, culture and local conservation. Through immersive visits to the world’s largest fenced ecosanctuary, ākonga are developing their understanding of biodiversity, Mātauranga Māori and kaitiakitanga.

Pukeatua School is a small country school near Maungatautari mountain, just south of Lake Karāpiro in Waikato.

Last year the school introduced the concept of rauwiringa rauropi (ecosystem) to their teaching and learning – a means to increase curiosity about nature and conservation and help ākonga appreciate the uniqueness of their school and their local environment.

“Rauwiringa rauropi has been a central concept in our teaching,” explains principal Dene Franklin.

“This concept isn’t just about the literal ecosystem in our immediate environment, it’s about the ecosystem of learning – everything working together, including what we do in the classroom and how we interact in the community.”

As part of their teaching and learning, the school made termly visits to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, the largest fenced ecosanctuary in the world.

“Through the interactive activities at the sanctuary, ākonga saw how every organism, from the smallest wētā to the tallest rimu, plays a part in maintaining the health of the ngahere,” says Dene.

“Then after each visit, they reflected on their learning through writing, art and science experiments, exploring interdependence in natural systems.

“They also began to identify changes that they could make at home and in the community and developed their ability to spot pests and predators.”

Connecting learning across the curriculum

“One of the focuses of Pukeatua School’s strategic planning has been ensuring tamariki are able to connect their learning across contexts over the year,” says Dene.

Sanctuary Mountain is a great location for crosscurriculum learning, he adds, meeting learning objectives in science, social studies and te ao Māori.

“In science, we’re learning to understand ecosystems, species interactions, and conservation methods. In social studies, we’re exploring the relationship between people and the environment, emphasising community action and responsibility.

“Then in te ao Māori, we’re learning the stories and significance of where we live and the maunga. We’re also learning the traditional uses of flora and fauna. And of course it’s embedding the concept of rauwiringa rauropi, interconnectedness.”

Regular visits to the sanctuary allowed tamariki and kaiako to build their knowledge progressively, he says, and rebuild their relationship after interactions waned during and following the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the first half of the year, students learned about the maunga itself, the ecological roles of different species in the ngahere, the importance of being kaitiakitanga, and native birdlife.

“Ākonga were encouraged to identify and look out for the manu that are represented in our newly developed school values, ‘Pukeatua PRIDE’. PRIDE stands for ‘Practising empathy’, ‘Role-modelling leadership’, ‘showing Integrity’, ‘Demonstrating passion’ and ‘aiming for Excellence’.”

In the second half of the year, students explored ngā rākau (the trees), investigating their role in the ecosystem and their lifecycles, as well as their traditional uses in rongoā (Māori healing system).

“We’ve tied all of this to our kura – our school houses are named after native trees,” adds Dene, highlighting that the final part of his students’ learning was designed to tie everything together.

“Ākonga explored interconnections in the ngahere, observing how birds, insects, trees and water systems interact.

“All of the activities we carried out at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari were aimed at collecting information, from identifying seedlings, saplings and birds on tally charts to understanding how healthy the ngahere is, what our information tells us, and how this information would be different to somewhere else in the country.”

Creating tomorrow’s kaitiaki

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is the largest fenced ecosanctuary in the world, with 47 kilometres of pest-proof fencing completed in 2006.

Pests within its boundaries were then removed, creating a safe space for “taonga species such as kiwi, takahē, kōkako, hihi, tīeke, kākā, giant wētā and tuatara”, says education programme lead Phil Margetts, one of the small team sharing the mauri and mana of the maunga.

“Our aim is to create tomorrow’s kaitiaki,” he says simply. “It’s our hope that visits to the sanctuary inspire students to take action for nature and pursue their interests in conservation.

“For some students, coming to Sanctuary Mountain is the first time they have been on a bush walk. Just being in the ngahere instils a sense of awe and wonder and provides a new experience for many learners. We hope that this is the spark that ignites a lifelong interest in our native flora and fauna.”

Phil adds that since many ākonga whakapapa to the maunga, visiting with their class is a great way to make connections.

“For all students, the trip is a chance to hear the local stories of the mountain and gain an understanding of its history and importance for mana whenua and the local area.”

He says the sanctuary’s relationship with Pukeatua School is an important one, and his team is thrilled to be part of their ecosystem of learning.

“Rauwiri means ‘to interlace with twigs’ and rauropi is the kupu for ‘organism’,” explains Phil.

“For us, it’s the perfect term to represent the plants, animals, other organisms, weather and landscapes of an area interacting with each other, but it also perfectly encapsulates all the interconnections Pukeatua ākonga have made this year.

“It brings together all their learning.”

Transformative impact

The school’s relationship with the sanctuary even offered students the experience of a lifetime: a large-scale movement of North Island brown kiwi.

From March 2024, 222 North Island brown kiwi were moved off the mountain to other conservation projects around the North Island.

“From this, we’ve been able to build on our connections with mana whenua and develop a relationship with our local iwi, Ngāti Korokī Kahukura. We plan to further improve our relationship by visiting Pōhara, our local marae.”

“All of this has had a transformative impact on our students,” says Dene, echoing Phil, by pointing out that Sanctuary Mountain was the setting for many students experiencing their first bush walk.

“This inspired awe and built their confidence in outdoor exploration. They’ve also come away with an increased curiosity about nature and conservation, and a heightened sense of kaitiakitanga and pride in their local area.

“It’s been amazing to watch ākonga develop a greater appreciation of the uniqueness of their school and understand how fortunate we are to be able to have such an incredible taonga right on our back doorstep.”

Ngā kōrero a ngā ākonga | What students say

“My favourite thing was going up the tower and seeing all the big trees that looked like broccoli. I also enjoyed counting the steps as we went up. It is pretty special to do what we do at school.” – DJ, Year 8

“I really liked it because the birds were so beautiful. I got to see a saddleback and that was pretty special.” – Blake, Year 2

“What I really enjoyed was making tracking tunnels and seeing the kākā pick all the bark off the trees.” – Aarav, Year 3

“I liked the fact that there were lots of things to do, like challenges and crafts. We got to make traps for the pests, and we got to do challenges like identifying the animals’ footsteps.” – Maia, Year 5

“I liked the trees, the birds and the challenges. My favourite bird was seeing the kiwi.” – Asta, Year 2

“I liked closing my eyes and listening to all of the birds. I could hear tūī, kākā and some pīwakawaka.” – Miafiorella, Year 3

If you’d like to take your class to visit Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, find more information at sanctuarymountain.co.nz/education. They also run virtual sessions for those who are a bit too far away to make the trip.