Seaweek Kaupapa Moana 2013

Seaweek Kaupapa Moana 2013
“Toiora te Moana - Toiora te Tangata,
Healthy Seas - Healthy People”
2 - 10 March 2013

We can all link our history back to the sea. As an island nation, New Zealand’s people have all arrived by sea from other lands and have depended on the sea for food, trade, transport and recreation. Our stories about the sea are deep rooted in myths, legends, culture and tradition, and many of our special places are beside the sea. So what does the sea mean to you, and what are the stories you’d like to share about the sea? From whaling to whale watching, fishing to surfing, singing to sailing, our uses of the sea continue to evolve and change. Our survival, and the survival of the rich tapestry of biodiversity that inhabits our seas and shores, depends on us balancing those uses carefully, so our seas and the resources we rely on will continue to support us.

The world’s oceans are under pressure and their ecosystems are failing. How much of that is down to us? Exploring these uses, traditions, balances and conflicts - and learning from them - is what Seaweek is all about.

Theme for Seaweek 2013

The theme for this year’s Seaweek is:
“Toiora te Moana - Toiora te Tangata, Healthy Seas - Healthy People”

The theme highlights our many connections with the sea and calls on Kiwis from all walks of life to celebrate Tangaroa's realm, tackle issues such as pollution, pest species and illegal harvesting of the sea's bounty, and keep our seas healthy for all.

Get Involved!

Seaweek is all about learning from each other and sharing experiences about and around the sea. No one agency or organization in New Zealand manages our ocean, it is something we all contribute to.

Follow Seaweek on Facebook and Twitter at:

http://www.facebook.com/sea.week

http://twitter.com/#!/seaweek2012

You can read the five year Seaweek strategic plan at www.seaweek.org.nz

Seaweek Objectives – over the next five years Seaweek will help New Zealanders:

1. Become more aware of the effects humans have in and on the sea;

2. Increase understanding of the contribution the sea makes to New Zealand’s social, economic, cultural and environmental wellbeing;

3. Understand more about how the sea connects communities and how it is connected with the land;

4. Know where to access more information about our marine environment;

5. Have access to exciting sustainable experiences in, on and for the marine environment;

6. Report increased inspiration to celebrate and learn from the sea.

Key Messages

We have a shared responsibility - kaitiakitanga

What we do now makes the difference tomorrow

One ocean - our stories, our future

Our seas are our survival

Having fun, feeding ourselves, showing respect

Making connections through the sea

Weird, wonderful and fragile

Loving the sea, being the change

Seaweek (using the brand) www.seaweek.org.nz

Celebrating the sea.

Seaweek Events

Events for 2013 will be listed on our website http://www.seaweek.org.nz and promoted nationally. A wide variety of exciting events occurs at national, regional and local levels.

2012 events included highlights such as:

Community guided snorkelling days

Non-motorised beach experience family days

Surf competitions

Penguin nest box building, turtle release and rock pool discovery

Lectures, guided walks, seminars, forums, hui and summit discussions

National launch and concert at Auckland Zoo

Boat trips, cruises, yacht races and regattas

Beach and harbour clean ups

Open days, guided tours, exhibitions

Sculpture, poetry, art, photography competitions

Explore and discovery trails at zoos, aquariums, museums, libraries and education centres

Film shows and concerts

Teacher and school capability development workshops

Whale rescue and dive courses

National closing event with Gareth Morgan

Reported numbers at the registered events in 2012 totalled an estimated 12,000. With the likely but unknown number of additional unregistered events, numbers could be more around the 20,000 mark.

Supporting Seaweek

NZAEE Seaweek is funded totally through sponsorships and in-kind support. NZAEE currently seeks new sponsors for Seaweek 2013. If you can offer sponsorship or support of any kind, or would like to be a regional co-ordinator for your area we’d love to hear from you.

Seaweek 2013 is sponsored by

ASB Community Trust

Department of Conservation

New Zealand Marine Studies Centre

Seaweek 2012 major sponsors were

ASB Community Trust

Ministry of Primary Industries

Department of Conservation

New Zealand Marine Studies Centre

Auckland Council

DSP Print Group Ltd

The following additional organisations have previously supported Seaweek

Experiencing Marine Reserves

Ministry for the Environment

Seafood Industry Council

NIWA

NZ Geographic

Dive NZ magazine

Starters and Strategies

Pacific Development and Conservation Trust

St Kilda Marine Environment Trust

Forest and Bird

Worldwide Fund for Nature NZ

National Marine Management Context

New Zealand’s “seascape” is particularly rich and complex due to its range and scope (sub-tropic to sub-antarctic) and its geographic position across active plates, major water masses and current systems. Our marine area is over 15 times larger than our land area and our exclusive economic zone is the fourth largest in the world. This amazing environment is home to more than 15,000 known species, many of which are not found anywhere else in the world. With an average of seven new marine species identified every fortnight, scientists estimate there may be up to 65,000 species in NZ’s coastal waters, yet less than 1% of our marine area has ever been surveyed. Sustainable management of our oceans has become increasingly challenging. Although attributing high social and economic values to the sea is not new, the amount and ways in which people use it and the surrounding environment have grown rapidly. Our ocean and its inhabitants are under pressure from a wide range of human activities including coastal development, over-fishing, fishing methods, bad boating practices and pollution. Although surveys show there is support for more marine protection around NZ, proposals at the ultimate end of the spectrum (no-take marine reserves) continue to attract strong opposition. Interested groups tend to be frequently divided on other issues such as aquaculture, cultural use/take, marine mammal sanctuaries, fishing quotas and industrial developments, with arguments occurring at a high level of tension.

Research also shows there is a lack of understanding of our marine environment and how to look after it better. People do not seem to link their actions with impacts individually, nor collectively. There is a strong sense of personal right to use and “ownership” of marine and coastal assets. In the absence of any national public relations or education plan to help address such issues, Seaweek has a demonstrated role to facilitate learning from and celebration of the spectacular sea that surrounds us.

NZAEE Seaweek Seaweek is an annual, national celebration of the sea coordinated by the New Zealand Association for Environmental Education (NZAEE). It provides special opportunities to experience the beauty and mysteries of, and learn more about, the diversity and significance of our marine environment. Seaweek is the only nationwide event dedicated to learning from the sea and developing a better understanding of what sustainability might mean in the marine world. Seaweek is the NZAEE’s flagship event and has been run annually for 20 years.

NZAEE was established in 1984. Its aim is promoting and supporting lifelong learning and encouraging behaviours that lead to sustainability for New Zealand / Aotearoa. NZAEE is an independent voice for environmental education, empowering people to respect and nurture the environment, recognising its link with the social, cultural and economic aspects of sustainability.

ENDS

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