Mural draws on stream guardianship

A full wheelie bin of aquatic trash collected in 30 minutes from a section of the Poorman Valley Stream drew inspiration for a mural with a litter-free message.

The stream clean-up and study was undertaken by Broadgreen Intermediate School students in Term 1 this year with Whakatū Nelson Enviroschools staff Rick Field and Emma Reeves, and the detritus discovery left students crying a river.

Broadgreen visual arts teacher Jeana Freeman says the students noticed that pedestrians on the riverside pathways were discarding rubbish into the stream, and thought a mural could make them second guess their unruly behaviour.

Its designs and message ‘please don’t drop rubbish in our stream, ko koe te kaitiaki o te awa [you are the guardian of the river]’, was spearheaded by her students along with Nayland Primary and College students.

Nelson City Council granted $750 for the mural.

A blessing of the mural on the Poorman Valley Stream walking bridge in between Broadgreen Intermediate and Nayland Primary took place on 20 November. Ngāti Tama member Moetu Tuuta spoke of the importance of preserving the awa (river) since it had provided him with memories from his time at Nayland Primary.

“This is my awa, I am the river and the river is me,” he says. “Where it comes from, where it’s going, and what’s in between it, it’s important to all of us to honour this little awa. It did not look like this in my time, it was a wee bit worse. It has definitely improved because there are more people taking notice nowadays, and because all the schools are here, and they’ve all made a difference.”