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Yachting New Zealand's RŪNĀ activation hub has made a splash at the inaugural Moana Auckland festival, with hundreds of students already immersing themselves in an array of educational activities.
The festival aims to foster a deeper connection with the marine environment and maritime heritage of New Zealand, encouraging students to become active participants in scientific exploration and cultural appreciation.
According to Yachting New Zealand's education lead Alisa Torgersen, 325 learners visited the hub in the Viaduct Harbour in the first fortnight, with another 266 expected to attend in the final week.
Students rotate between engaging Moanamana and Kōrinorino activities, providing a dynamic learning experience. Moanamana and Kōrinorino are two of the three modules that make up Yachting New Zealand's groundbreaking schools programme RŪNĀ.
Two classes a day rotate around the five Moanamana activities in the container village, as well as the five Kōrinorino activities at the Maritime Museum.
Hundreds of students have already experienced the activities in the first two weeks. Photos / Alisa Torgersen
"Moanamana offers students a range of activities to explore the rich diversity of marine life - from conducting marine surveys through the Marine Metre Squared project to analysing plankton samples under microscopes. They also embrace the role of citizen scientists, contributing valuable data to ongoing research efforts, while the use of underwater video technology and BLAKE NZ's virtual reality experiences provide a captivating glimpse into New Zealand's coastal ecosystems," Torgersen explained.
"Meanwhile, at the Maritime Museum, students navigate their way through the museum's exhibits while uncovering maritime history through interactive treasure hunts and guided tours."
A big hit is the team at the Love Rimurimu Project who have provided three activities to help students grow their own kelp forest by getting to know seaweed, its importance and how to grow it.
Torgersen said Yachting New Zealand hopes to use the success of the activation hub as a springboard to get more yacht clubs involved in the RŪNĀ programme and running weekday sailing experiences for their local schools.
For more information on Yachting New Zealand's RŪNĀ schools programme, click here or email Torgersen at alisa@yachtingnz.org.nz.
