We believe that conservation education of our natural heritage is key for people to understand how we can be good kaitiaki for Aoteraoa, here, now and in the future.
Korora/Little penguins are a great focal point species as people can easily connect with them, they are small and cute, have a funny walk and can act just like people, all having their own personalities.
As a mascot species for conservation they are great advocates - they live from the land to the sea, are considered a taonga (treasure) and are a sentinel species for the marine environment.
We work to give young people understanding, insight and connection to our natural heritage.
For this we offer many indoor and outdoor activities for your class
- Get to know our little penguins – field trip
- Get to discover our marine environment (kayaking) – field trip
- Get to know our flora – field trip
- We come to you
- School camp
Where do we fit in in the curriculum?
Our activities fit perfectly in the NZ school curriculum and offer hands-on experience to develop values such as curiosity, ecological sustainability and respect, key competencies such as thinking, participating and contributing, and learning areas such as physical education (kayak, hike), Science and Technology.
- Science/Biology:
- An understanding of the food chain
- An understanding of what makes up the eco-system
- Learning about the different animal and plant species (some being endemic of the area) present on Banks peninsula, on land and at sea.
- Learning the different variants within a species (White-Flippered penguin/Blue penguin)
- An understanding of the evolution of a species
- An understanding of factors that can influence the behaviour/well-being of species (climate change, pollution, predation…)
- Learning about the geology of the area
- Conservation:
- Understanding the importance of protecting species for the future generations
- Learning about the conservation necessary to protect the White-Flippered Penguin and other native wildlife:
- Providing nesting sites
- Trapping for predator control
- Farm management techniques that help the penguins
- Rehabilitation of injured or sick penguins
- Marine environment
- Understanding the importance of protecting of the sea and its wildlife
- Understanding the benefit of a marine reserve
- Encounter marine wildlife such as fur seals, sea-birds and frequently Hector dolphins
- Physical Education through outdoor activity:
- Sea-kayaking safari (paddling, synchronisation of movement in a double seater kayak)
- Hiking through a virgin scenic reserve and learning to recognise native species
- Technology:
- Through building traps or nesting sites, learn to follow instructions, to safely use tools such as hammer/nails, and practice geometry and measurement.
