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Nikao
Maori wins first prize in UNESCO Community Sandwatch Competition
Primary
school students at Nikao Maori School won first prize in the UNESCO
Community Sandwatch competition with their combined entries focusing
on nearby Nikao Beach. The students were divided into three groups,
one group focusing on measuring beach changes and planting trees
to conserve the sand, a second group focusing on making the community
aware of the project, and a third group concentrating on waste
management and recycling at the beach.
Principal of Nikao Maori School (left) and Ms Jane Taurarii
of the Ministry of Education at the prize-giving ceremony
in November 2005 |
Teachers from Nikao Maori School, November 2005 |
The
students and their teachers overcame many problems in the implementation
of their Sandwatch project. When the rakes they used to clean
the beach were stolen, a local business stepped in and bought
new ones. Then in February 2005, Cook Islands experienced four
cyclones causing considerable damage the beaches and destroying
the newly planted trees.
Sandwatch students from Nikao Maori School, Novembers 2005
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Nikao Maori Beach nine months after the February 2005 cyclones
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