Living Heritage -
Mapua School
Mapua - The good, the bad, and the ugly
The Wonderful World of Wetlands
Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.
Cree Indian Prophecy
It is with this in mind, we began our study on the Mapua Wetlands.
We as a class were unsure of what a wetlands was exactly and why people would spend a great deal of time planting native trees.
Our inquiry learning was guided by the following questions:
PAST:
What is the significance of the Seaton Valley Swamp in the history of Mapua?
What did the wetlands look like and how has it changed?
What battles occurred on the shores of Mapua near the Seaton Valley Swamp area? (AIF 11.8MB)
What is the story of the ghost waka and how does it relate to the wetlands? (MOV 1MB)
PRESENT:
Why is the Maire tree important to the biodiversity of the wetlands and how do we protect biodiversity?
What trees are planted and what role do they play in the wetland environment?
Why does kahikatea need to be replanted and what impact will it have on Mapua?
FUTURE:
How important is replanting trees and why is it important that the wetlands exists today?
We found a man named Cat Stevens had asked a similar question many years ago in a song titled "Where do the children play?"
Well you roll on roads over fresh green grass. For your lorry loads pumping petrol gas. And you make them long, and you make them tough. But they just go on and on, and it seems that you can't get off.
Oh, I know we've come a long way, We're changing day to day, But tell me, where do the children play?
Lyrics from "Where do the children play?" by Cat Stevens
Our big understanding:
Everything comes from the Earth. It is time to give back to mother Earth. It is time to plan for the future.
The Mapua Wetlands is a community based project which is future proofing our community, creating a small piece of the past to help the future.
