09 Aug 2005

NZ Geographic - The 2004 Sir Peter Blake Youth Environment Forum

So, like my parents generation before me, I have become critical, even cynical about the young people of today. Where are our leaders of the future, where are those who care about New Zealand? The youth of today have become self-centred, overweight, technology obsessed and perceive their world via the media. Of course, in my teenage years we were all healthy outdoor activity junkies - into sport, adventure and exploration (I have conveniently forgotten disco, flares and weird facial hair experiments). In my generation we came to understand New Zealand and to develop our sense of place through our country’s outdoor environment – camping, tramping, surfing, sailing, biking. What a healthy lot we all were and we have all grown up to become responsible citizens contributing positively to our society and doing sensible things like subscribing to New Zealand Geographic! Not seemingly, like the young people of today.

The resurrection of my faith in New Zealand young people however began on 7 December last year. Yes, there were plenty of cell phones, some discrete tattoos, the odd nose ring and even the dreaded “belly over hipster” combination – but the 45 teenage delegates to the Sir Peter Blake Youth Environment Forum in Wellington were inspirational. The four day forum, co-hosted by the Ministry for the Environment and the Sir Peter Blake Trust, brought together representatives from all 16 regions in New Zealand. Senior High School students (16-18 years of age) were selected by regional councils and, with a chaperone from their region, stayed in residence at the Helen Lowry Hall of Residence (Wellington College of Education) in Karori.

The primary objective of the forum was to provide young people with opportunities and experiences in environmental management and to develop future environmental leadership. “Learning by doing” was a guiding principle and a series of workshops, involving the students and a variety of volunteers from government agencies, non-profit organisations, academics and business, were held. These workshops included waste management and recycling, urban design and wetland conservation and further mini-projects on marine mammal conservation and air quality were conducted.

What I observed during these workshops and projects was young people engaging with learning about our natural and built environment, grappling with the consequences of human activities and enthusiastically developing potential solutions.

A wonderful example was a field-trip to Pauatahanui Inlet, an arm of the Porirua Harbour around 30 km north of Wellington. While it is one of few significant estuaries in the lower North Island it is typical of many such inlets in New Zealand in terms of the challenges it faces. Despite its tidal nature, it is primarily a “receiving environment” in that run-off from surrounding areas has significant influence on the health and functioning of the ecosystem.

Much of the catchment south of the Inlet is now urbanised while the area adjacent to the northern coastline is rural farmland. This human induced transition from an originally forested catchment has resulted in significant changes for Pauatahanui, the most significant of which has been increased sedimentation. These sediment loads have significantly reduced the depth of the inlet and, in some cases, exceeded the abilities of fauna and flora to cope. In addition, there is evidence of elevated levels of heavy metals (such as zinc, copper and lead) in muds and organochlorines (from pesticides used on neighbouring farms and horticultural sites) have been found in organisms and sediment in the inlet. A more recent finding has been raised levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – most likely a result of incomplete combustion of petrol exhausted from cars – the Inlet has a well used road around its fringes. Thus, the Pauatahanui Inlet faces many human induced challenges.

The most dramatic example of these changes in the environmental health of the Inlet has been the significant decline in cockles. In the 1970s the Tuangi or New Zealand cockle (Austovenus stutchbury) made up almost 80% of the biomass of the inter-tidal zone in the estuary. A 1976 study showed an abundance of as many as 2,500 cockles per square metre – or an estimated total of around 550 million cockles in the Inlet! However by 1995 cockle density in the Pauatahanui Inlet had reduced to a third of that level.

As a filter feeding organisation, they are a good indicator species of the overall health of an estuarine ecosystem. Cockles are also an important food source for birds, such as the Oyster Catcher and Heron, and for Flounder and Whelk. The increased siltation of the Inlet was thought to be responsible for this significant reduction in cockles and local community groups together with local and regional government have started to address the issue.

The Forum’s students were introduced to the issue through conducting a cockle count themselves. They assessed water quality in streams feeding into the Inlet, assisted in planting seedlings in important salt-marsh areas and “released” weeds from the fringes of the estuary. An important learning experience was attending a meeting of the Pauatahanui Inter-Agency Group where students were exposed to the complexity involved in coordinating the variety of interest groups that are the inevitable part of any natural resource management enterprise. After a very full day in the field, students were then asked to put together a presentation for the Minister for the Environment and other senior governmental figures at Parliament Buildings.

The students identified and presented a number of potential solutions including increased riparian planting – and providing financial incentives such as rates relief for farmers who do so, involving the local schools more closely in the annual cockle count survey, coastal clean up programmes, sumps and sediment traps for local storm-water and road runoff, increased signage and education of local residents (especially in the newer suburban areas such as Whitby) and ensuring that the reserve contribution required from property development is inflation adjusted and used appropriately.

The presentation that students made revealed that they had learned the important lesson that complex environmental problems seldom have simple solutions but that a determined and multi-faceted approach based on a sound understanding of the causes of the problem can be successful. What I learned was that enthusiasm, passion for our natural environment, and optimism for our future are indeed present in our young people

For me, opportunities like this – to share learning experiences with young New Zealanders – are rejuvenating. We really do have some outstanding young people in this country - full of energy and enthusiasm for our beautiful natural environment and already making important contributions to conservation. It was a privilege to be involved.

Dr Mark Orams
Executive Director
Sir Peter Blake Trust