Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago chemistry outreach trips to Te Hiku - Annual Report 2024

1 July, 2025

Institute Affiliate Dr Dave Warren has continued to build on his relationship with Ngāti Kahu in Te Hiku with visits by his Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago (UoO) chemistry outreach team. The hapu and Iwi have had poor interactions with scientists in the past, resulting in loss of traditional tāonga (valuable resources). This led to the vaccine hesitancy and distrust of science prevalent in the community in 2022 when we first visited. This outreach project was established as an attempt to normalise science in schools and re-build community trust in science.

A key part of engaging students with science is in putting the science in the context of something important to them. On the outreach team's visit in June/July, the theme for the visit was water (a concern in many areas of the rohe); it included growing silver mirrors from 'water' (actually Tollens reagent, pointing out how hard it is to identify 'clean' water just by looking at it), nitrate testing procedures and a session with UoO PhD student Sam McIntyre delivering an activity to explain her research into nanoparticles for use in remediating nitrate pollution in water sources.

We also included hydrogen fuel cell kits (from He Honoka Hauwai) for use in new schools (we had used them last year with schools in our November trip) demonstrating how energy can be produced from water. In November they visited again, introducing 'make-your-own' solar cells for the older students. They also added a new school (Kaitaia Intermediate) and were joined by Deputy Director Outreach and Education Associate Professor Anna Garden.

The number of kids who come up and talk to us when we are stopping or walking around town, we are introduced to whānau as 'our scientists'.
Dr Dave Warren MacDiarmid Institute Affiliate

Dave's team has visited a number of times now, forming deeper relationships as they continue to come back. Dave notes, "The number of kids who come up and talk to us when we are stopping or walking around town, we are introduced to whānau as 'our scientists'. We were also invited to attend Oturu schools Matariki celebrations in the Kaitaia civic centre.

"While we were in the area we collected seven more kānuka samples as part of an ongoing collaboration with one of the local hapu (Liam Hewson's Masters work), and we are currently looking at developing some topical treatments based on kānuka extract for use in local schools to treat 'school sores' and other skin complaints (in partnership with Plant and Food). The development of the cream is a strong indication that the project is starting to do its job, breaking down some of these barriers and the community is more willing to accept and trust scientists."