Moana Lucre-Hedger’s transformative haerenga with BLAKE

Curiosity led kaiako Moana Lucre-Hedger on an unforgettable journey through te moana to the remote subantarctic islands of Ihupuku and Maungahuka.

Her experiences with BLAKE Inspire and BLAKE Expeditions have reshaped her teaching, deepened her understanding of Mātauranga Māori and environmental science, and fueled a renewed commitment to nurturing ākonga as future kaitiaki.

Curiosity can lead us down many new paths. For Moana Lucre-Hedger, her curiosity for the environment led to an adventure she would never have expected – a path through the ocean to the wild and isolated subantarctic islands of Ihupuku | Campbell Island and Maungahuka | Auckland Islands on a climate research mission with BLAKE Expeditions.

Moana, a kaiako from Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Raki Paewhenua, says her experience in March this year was unforgettable.

“Voyaging to Ihupuku and Maungahuka has not only fueled my passion for te taiao but it also deepened my understanding of the relationship between environmental science and Mātauranga Māori,” shares Moana. “A question I had pondered just months before the expedition.”

BLAKE Inspire for Teachers

Moana initially signed up for BLAKE Inspire for Teachers, a five-day course fully funded by the Ministry of Education specifically for teachers and one she says “ticked a lot of boxes” for the professional development she was seeking.

Aside from the programme being conveniently aligned with the school holidays and located in Tāmaki Makaurau, Moana says she was initially interested because of the opportunity to spend time with kaiako from across Aotearoa and to learn how other organisations integrate te ao Māori into their research and learning tools.

“The inspiration I drew from Dr Dan Hikuroa’s workshop, demonstrating how he weaves indigenous knowledge with scientific principles, along with the programme’s thorough integration of kaupapa Māori, affirmed my reasons for attending,” says Moana.

“The outdoor experiences and practical learning activities strengthened my vision for implementing new approaches at my own kura.”

While field trips and class excursions are a great way to get tamariki excited about their natural surroundings, Moana says one of the most profound learnings she took away was how to embrace her own outdoor spaces every day.

“Tamariki love being outside. They learn better, and they understand more,” says Moana. “I learned that you don’t always have to go to another place, you can just step outside, weed the gardens, use the compost bin. Involve the tamariki. The environment is on our back doorstep – we just need to get out there.”

After completing the programme, Moana returned to her kura feeling instantly compelled to share her passion with fellow kaiako and staff members.

“I told them to get ready because I want to be the kaiako for environmental studies – that’s what I plan to do in the future!” she says.

From BLAKE Inspire to BLAKE Expeditions

As a participant of BLAKE Inspire, Moana was then selected as part of a 16-strong group of students, teachers and scientists to take part in BLAKE Expeditions – an opportunity Moana says filled her with excitement from the moment she found out.

“I initially thought it might be similar to what our tūpuna would have experienced arriving in Aotearoa; somewhere remote and untouched, where no human impact had been made,” she says.

The vision was a little blurry as she lay aboard HMNZS Canterbury, rolling through big waves on the Royal New Zealand Navy vessel heading south from Bluff – her biggest challenge to overcome being seasickness.

“That and being apart from my husband for almost two weeks were my biggest challenges,” she says.

On arriving at Ihupuku and heading ashore with the scientists and students, Moana realised just how important the area was for scientific research and the depth of knowledge that had been gathered from the area over many years.

“What was amazing to see, was how the students absorbed the knowledge from the scientists. They knew exactly what they were talking about,” she says.

Moana had studied Ihupuku and Maungahuka before leaving home, but said the amount of different flora, fauna and wildlife completely exceeded her expectations.

“It was incredible how different the islands were –one with plenty of plants and animals I had never seen, and the other that looked a lot more familiar.

“Stepping onto Maungahuka, the first noise I heard was bellbirds, then I looked up and saw rata trees, followed by a tui,” she explains.

Bringing knowledge home

Over the last few months, Moana has been working on bringing the knowledge and passion embedded during the trip back to her kura.

“For students that want to go on and study these places there are opportunities for them to be a big part of looking after our planet – it’s really exciting,” she says.

The journey from BLAKE Inspire participant to subantarctic explorer has transformed not only Moana’s teaching approach but also reinforced her commitment to environmental education.

Through her experience, she has shown how fostering curiosity can lead to huge personal and professional growth while also realising opportunities for future environmental leaders within her school community.