Hamilton East School - Arnaturua Tao

Name: Arnaturua Tao

School: Hamilton East School

Region: Hamilton, Waikato

Programme: ‘The Behavioural Ecology and Conservation of Aotearoa Invertebrates’

Host: The Invertebrate Behavioural Ecology Lab at Te Aka Mātuatua School of Science, University of Waikato

Hamilton East School (HES) has committed to the Science Teaching Leadership Programme (STLP) to build on the school’s strong sense of kaitiakitanga and culture of environmentally focused education, science and inquiry. In collaboration with Georgia Cox-Wright (2020 STLP participant), Arnaturua will further extend science development within the kura. This opportunity will provide practical applications and understanding within meaningful contexts and encourage a scientific perspective and approach to making observations and sense of the world. Enhancing and gaining a deeper understanding and knowledge of the Nature of Science will further highlight its role in the practice of sustainable approaches, resulting in continued science engagement, development of critical awareness, and the implementation of te ao Māori, science and sustainable environmental investigations.

Arnaturua was brought up in the Coromandel, which instilled an innate sense of connection and responsibility of understanding and caring for the taiao (environment). Growing up off-grid and surrounded by native bush, she learnt to live harmoniously with her surroundings. As a descendent of Ngāti Awa and Ngāti Tūwharetoa, she is also passionate about learning, teaching and integrating te ao Māori into her life and those around her. While studying Te Aka Pūtaiao (Scientific Mātauranga Māori Environmental certificate), she was introduced to the value of integrating a scientific approach to validate and support the weaving of science, environmental and te ao Māori elements together. 

Arnaturua has been a teacher of years 3 and 4 at HES for five years. She is passionate about working alongside tamariki, guiding them in sustainable practices and supporting their growth in practising kaitiakitanga and conservation. Over this time, Arnaturua has been an active lead in upholding the HES Green-Gold EnviroSchool status and attended the Blake Inspire for Teachers Environmental Education and Leadership Development programme. In her Kāhui Ako position, she supported the implementation of Te Whare Tapu o te Ngākau Māori, a curriculum framework that upholds the foundation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Her inquiry researched and trialled how to best disseminate culturally responsive practices through traditional forms of Māori knowledge transferal.

Before teaching, she founded Matakite Productions Ltd. which provided professional development to organisations and schools and produced Māori resources. Arnaturua was invited to be a key presenter at the 1st Mesoamerican Cultural Astronomy Congress held in Guatemala and Honduras.

In Phase One, Arnaturua will be based at the Invertebrate Behavioural Ecology Lab at Te Aka Mātuatua School of Science at the University of Waikato. She will be hosted by Dr Chrissie Painting and her postgraduate students, who research the behaviour, ecology and conservation of a wide range of endemic Aotearoa insects and spiders. Chrissie’s team is interested in understanding the evolution of reproductive behaviour and morphology.

Arnaturua will work alongside Chrissie and her team on several research projects in the field and laboratory, including ‘Exploring the behaviour (habitat, mating, population etc) of Dolomedes fishing spiders & their relationship to water’ and ‘Dietary Insights from Metabarcoding to Enhance Conservation Strategies for the Chatam Island Black Robin’. During this placement, Arnaturua will learn key skills, including data collection for the ecological and behavioural science of invertebrates, participation in field surveys, laboratory-based behavioural assays, invertebrate sorting and identification, data entry and analysis and community engagement.

In addition, she will be travelling to Rēkohu (Chatham Islands) for a week of outreach events aimed at fostering scientific interest in families across the island. This will also allow Arnaturua to add to her understanding of how scientists transfer research into education.