Photo: RNZ
A new dark sky sanctuary, a cocoa boom and a viral TikTok star promoting Māori kai are among this week's feelgood stories.
Dark skies to help seabirds avoid crash landings
Artificial light is just one of many threats faced by Kaikōura's Hutton's shearwater birds / tītī. Photo: Sabrina Luecht / supplied
Turning down the lights will give Kaikōura's Hutton's shearwater tītī birds ''a fighting chance'' from at least one of the multiple threats they face.
DarkSky International granted international dark sky sanctuary status to the Kaikōura district last month.
One of the motivations behind the initiative was protecting the endangered tītī from the detrimental effects of artificial lighting, which led to some birds crash landing.
Solesolevaki: A Fijian family's story of connection through art
Vasemaca Tavola (Fka Ema). Photo: PMN
One Fijian family living in Aotearoa has created an art exhibition, Solesolevaki, that expresses their identity, culture, and connection to the motherland.
"We've worked together to make an exhibition where we've all reflected on the ways that we experience our Fijianess in our everyday lives," says exhibition curator Vasemaca Ema Tavola.
She says her work is about serving the Polynesian arts community and this exhibition is about delving back into her identity as a Fijian.
'Kia tapatahi!' - Songbook of classic waiata Māori launched
Hana Mereraiha at the launch of the Aotearoa Songbook. Photo: Rawhitiroa Photography
A group of singers and te reo exponents have brought the classic waiata of te ao Māori to life, distributing The Aotearoa Songbook freely to schools around the country.
Project lead Hana Mereraiha said the idea came from a need to support teachers and whānau who were passing on the waiata to the next generation.
"This is in no way a definitive resource, it will continue to emerge and expand and grow as we discover more about these beautiful waiata and about our rich heritage and legacy of waiata Māori."
'Success story': Bougainville cocoa boom fostered by aid donors
cocoa tree in Papua New Guinea Photo: RNZ
Bougainville has had cocoa farmers for over a century. In 2015, Australia, New Zealand and the World Bank invested in giving grants to cocoa farmers that enabled them to be able to buy seeds and good quality seeds that would result in good quality cocoa.
All the benefits of that investment are now being reaped in Bougainville, boosted by a surge in cocoa prices after crop failures in West Africa.
The money is going into school fees and into a building boom in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region.
'Kai connects people' - Putting Māori cuisine on the map using TikTok
"Kai is an incredible way we can express manaakitanga and aroha with eachother,"- Raukura Huata Photo: Supplied: TikTok screenshot
Raukura Huata (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Arawa) is putting a spotlight on traditional Māori kai and hopes to inspire the next generation to "give it a crack".
Generating hundreds of thousands of views per kai video, Huata has a growing community of more than 70,000 followers on TikTok.
"I'm really glad that if you're telling a kai story about Aotearoa, that Māori are right at the centre point of that," she said.
Huata is sharing recipes via TikTok's #MadeWithLove campaign, including her signature creamed pāua recipe, which ties to her whakapapa.
Country Life: Girls who Grow bridging the urban-rural divide for young women
Katie Wyeth shows the students how to get stuck in as part of soil testing on farm. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life
On a bright, sunny spring day this week in Wairarapa, a dozen or so girls from schools around the region had a chance to hear from some women who have carved out a space for themselves in the primary sector.
They took part in Girls who Grow, a programme that aims to "spark the imagination" of high school-aged girls including those who don't come from rural backgrounds.
The students learn about the variety of careers available and it also helps ease climate anxiety as they see they can be part of the solutions.
