On May 22nd 2026, New Plymouth students Stella Delmar and Paige Kershaw attended a once in a lifetime trip to the jewel of the North, the Poor Knights marine reserve.

The trip, run by Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, gives young people from around Aotearoa the chance to immerse themselves beneath the surface of one of New Zealand's oldest marine reserves.

Stella and Paige (pictured with group below) joined 30 other students from around New Zealand who had created outstanding action or art projects as part of Mountains to Sea’s ‘Experiencing Marine Reserves’ programme.

The Ngā Motu Marine Society (NMMS) delivers the Experiencing Marine Reserves programme in Taranaki, and ran the programme at Highlands Intermediate, Devon Intermediate and Ōakura School last year. Highlands Intermediate Marine Studies teacher and NMMS committee member, Pat Swanson, was thrilled with Paige and Stella’s contributions as a result of their participation in the programme.

"Each year, I'm lucky to work with passionate tamariki who care deeply about our moana and kaitiakitanga. This group really got engaged with the issue of seabed mining in the South Taranaki Bight. Paige and Stella (in water below right) stood out with their strong commitment - as well as their contributions to their group’s action and art projects. A highlight of the programme is that it engages not just the kids, but their whānau too.”

Action plans submitted this year included: a beautifully illustrated kids book about “Detective Finn and the case of the missing sand” and a massive turtle sculpture made of recycled materials and demonstrating the dangers of plastics to sea creatures.

“Feedback from the people on this trip have highlighted how special it is for parents and tamariki to connect with the ocean. I have also been blown away by the depth of action projects from around the regions. It’s awesome to hear about projects that are on-going from previous years”, says Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust Poutokomanawa (Co-Director) Sarama Nicholas.

“A protected marine space like the Poor Knights shows them what effective conservation can achieve, and hopefully instills a lifelong sense of kaitiakitanga,” she says.

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Stellar Delmar (pictured above with Dad, Keith) said, “I was astonished at the number of fish and how close they came to me. It has been an amazing journey.”

Acknowledgements

This trip wouldn’t be possible without the support of Dive! Tutukaka and the Bobby Stafford-Bush Foundation. The event also has support from Foundation North, Whangarei Coastal Commuters, Schnappa Rock and the Matapouri Holiday Units.

Tawhiti Rahi and Aorangi - The Poor Knights Islands are in the rohe of Ngāti Wai and we appreciate being able to visit the moana around these taonga.

If you would like to get your school involved in our programme and have a chance of going on this once in a lifetime trip express your interest in a school programme here. Feel free to get in touch with our awesome coordinator, Rachel Eckersley, here in Taranaki.

Big thanks to our regional provider partners Friends of Te Whanganui o Hei Marine Reserve Trust, Mountains to Sea Wellington, Tasman Bay Guardians, Nga Motu Marine Society, He Awa Ora, He Tai Ora, Healthy Rivers, Living Sea‍ ‍

Images provided by Lorna Doogan and Sophie Journee from Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust.