Virtual field trip: Kohunga Kutai – a natural solution for a plastic problem

Once again during Seaweek, primary school children across the country can virtually travel with LEARNZ to experience marine science fieldwork with Sustainable Seas researchers. This year they will discover how  science and mātauranga Māori have come together to create natural solutions to the problem of plastic pollution from aquaculture rope.

Aquaculture is a growing industry in Aotearoa New Zealand. It offers a healthy way to feed the world's growing population that can be achieved in a sustainable way.

However, plastic materials are commonly used in aquaculture, which can degrade over time and can cause problems in the marine environment.

This poses a challenge for mussel farms, which typically use plastic socks to seed and grow kūtai/mussels.

Our Kohunga Kutai project brings together science and mātauranga Māori to create natural solutions to the problem of ocean plastic. Innovation and diversity of knowledge aims to benefit mussel aquaculture and people, and enhance the mauri of our marine ecosystems.

The students will travel online to Mahurangi/Warkworth to:

• Explore the importance of our marine ecology and the impact of plastic
• Discover the science and mātauranga building a sustainable aquaculture industry
• Meet the experts who are collaborating to innovate on positive solutions
• Find ways to protect our coastal waters from plastic pollution

This is our fifth virtual field trip in partnership with LEARNZ for primary school children.

All the field trip material including videos, a Google Earth for Web tour, background material and online quizzes will be available from 7 March 2022, and will remain freely available online.