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Water: a balancing act

Cross the gently-sloping Canterbury Plains to follow the journey of water.

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Background reading, images, narrations, keywords and quizzes.

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Insights into people and their careers, and the chance to replay live web conferences as podcasts.

Field trip videos about water.

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Videos and more showcasing places, people, ideas and initiatives on this field trip.

Take a journey following water
A diary of water's journey from mountain to sea.

About this trip

Water is one of the most important substances on earth. If there was no water there would be no life on earth. It sustains every living thing and our way of life.

Water is also one of New Zealand's most valuable assets. Because we're a small island in a large ocean, high rainfall fills our rivers, lakes and underground lakes (aquifers) to provide many sources of water. Even so, our water supply is limited.

New Zealand is a food producing nation and water is at the heart of every part of the food production cycle. This field trip is a water journey exploring how we manage water sustainably for farming, food and our future: finding the balance between using and conserving.

You will follow the journey of water starting where it falls on our mountains: you will see water trapped and conveyed to farmers who apply it to their crops, where it is absorbed into plant material, processed into food and transported to you, the consumer. What a journey!

This online field trip supports a STEAM-based, cross curricular approach to teaching and learning. Participation encourages curiosity, citizen-science and student inquiry. Access the glossary and the Class Ambassadors.

Curriculum

Teacher resources

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

United Nations SDG 12This trip reflects the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.