Rimurimu whānau and features

You've met our two ākonga,
Rakaipo and Ngawai,

at Te Kura Kaupapa
Māori o Ngā Mokopuna.

And we're back here
at Moa Point,

and we're going to put
their knowledge to the test.

They've been gathering a bit of
seaweed from the shoreline here

that's been washed up.
So, Rakaipo...

Eh, who asked them?

You've got some seaweed in
front of us. Tell us about it.

Okay, so first, there’s three
whānau | families of seaweed.

There’s kura or whero,
which is just red.

Then parāone and kākāriki,
which is brown and green.

Okay, so three groups
of seaweed. Āe.

Yeah. And so first,
we’ll look at this one.

Some examples. All right.
What have we got here?

So this is rimu kakauroa
| giant kelp.

It's from the
parāone family.

What are some
of its features?

There's the pūtake, holdfast,
it holds onto the rocks.

Then there's the
kakau, the stipe.

Then the rau,
or the blades.

Then the pūkorohau,
or the air bladder.

Right. With the giant kelp, that
helps it float to the surface?

Yeah.

Ka pai. What else
have you got?

And this of course is part
of the restoration project.

That's the one you are
growing and replanting.

Yeah it is.

Ka pai. What else have
you got to show us?

Oh, there's this big leathery-
looking one. This is..

Rimurapa.

Rimurapa or bull kelp.

Bull kelp.

Traditionally used for making
pōhā to preserve or carry food.

Right. So, this big part, I
think you told me before,

is opened up,
food is put in there

and tied up like that
for preservation.

Yeah.

Awesome. Very handy. So.. and
this was from what whānau?

Parāone; so brown.

Āe.

Then there's this. It's
rimu kaikai | sea lettuce.

It's good to put in
salads and stuff.

Looks very much
like sea lettuce.

Something that I got out
of my burger the other day,

almost eh.

It's from the green
family | kākāriki.

Alright.

And so, lastly, there's this one,
which is, it's greenish brown,

but it's from the kura,
the red family.

And it's good to eat.
Would you like to try some?

I will, actually, since you
offered. What is its name?

Karengo.

Karengo.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Kia ora. Thanks so
much for that!

Ngawai, we’ve learnt about
some of the features and

whānau of seaweed, but there’s
a bit more to it isn’t there?

It’s got some real benefits
for the environment.

Yeah, so it's a habitat for fishes
to hide from its predators.

It's also food for all the
living beings in the ocean.

It also absorbs carbon dioxide,
which produces oxygen.

Well, that's a big one.

And, you know, when we
consider our own relationship

with the environment, it's
important for humans, too.

Yeah. So there's a
saying that goes:

Ko au te moana,
ko te moana ko au.

I'm the ocean and
the ocean is me.

So that's basically saying,
I'm the guardian of the ocean.

And, I just got to protect it.

Protect it for the future.

And that's been a real big
driver behind you guys’

involvement in the rimurimu
restoration project.

And so thinking about, you
know, the future and other

people maybe getting involved
in similar restoration projects,

what would you say to them?

Well, there's another
saying that goes:

Mēnā rānei koe hiahia ngā
taonga o te moana me ruku.

If you seek the treasures of
the ocean, you got to get wet.

So, nau mai piki, haramai kake.

Tō mai ki tō tātou whare
whakarauora i te taiao.

Kia ora.