Taking action today to carve out a better tomorrow

In the heart of Kirikiriroa Hamilton, tucked away in a quiet corner of the Fairfield College grounds, sits Aratiatia Marae, one of the finest examples of Māori carving in the world.

Its creation was driven by the long-held dream of Whaea Erana Coulter of Ngāti Porou and brought into reality by Tainui master carver Kereti Rautangata, with the help of local Rangatahi.

During construction, Rautangata took many young people under his wing, teaching them carving skills and tikanga, bearing testament to what can be achieved when young people are given the space to dream, learn and create together.

Aratiatia Marae is a fitting and uplifting location for the climate summit.

“It’s such a fitting and uplifting location for our third Waikato Climate Summit,” said Waikato Regional Council’s Senior Education Advisor Michelle Daly, who helped organise the three-day event.

“The young people here aren’t just dreaming of a better future for our climate and environment, they’re taking action today to carve out a better tomorrow.

“The Waikato Climate Summit is all about equipping them with the tools to do that – inspiring and empowering them to connect and make their voices heard together.

Mahi to help the local community at The Fairfield Project urban gully restoration.

“This year, we’ve seen the momentum and enthusiasm absolutely take off, with attendance more than doubling.”

The summit supported young people from eight secondary schools across the Waikato rohe (region) to connect with nature and develop leadership skills to promote wellbeing and resilience.

A highlight for many was a tira hoe, an exciting educational journey in a traditional waka on the Waikato River. Students relished the opportunity to explore while also learning about te ao Māori, mātauranga Māori, biodiversity and climate change adaptation.

The council’s Kaihāpai Hōtaka Mātauranga Arna Solomon-Banks said: “This is a space where our rangatahi can really celebrate their identity and their culture, wherever they’re from, connect to the whenua and the awa together on one waka, and find their place, their voice in the climate change kaupapa.”

Learning about urban biodioversity and gully restoration.

The students also heard from a range of inspirational speakers, including School Strike 4 Climate founder and New Zealand’s youngest councillor, Sophie Handford, and got hands-on learning about urban biodiversity and gully restoration at the Fairfield Project.

Hanne Vanhoovels, a student at Hauraki Plains College said: “I’m really passionate about climate change and activism for the environment, so I saw this as an opportunity to pursue that more and find out as much as possible. I want to take what I’ve learned back to my school to show how we deal with environmental issues and make the best positive change we can.”

Summit veteran Seth Seerup, who is from Paeroa College and part of the Rangatahi Voices youth forum is now into his third year of attending. “I’ve learned so much here. There have been lots of inspirational speakers and it’s been really cool meeting new people. It’s awesome. I really recommend other young people getting involved next year.”