Our Wetland Education Programme for local low decile primary schools, is a huge success with over 1500 children a year visiting Matuku Link. Our incredible educators teach them to love wetlands and appreciate the bush, nature and the natural environment while doing a full day of hands-on science. Identifying macro-invertebrates, comparing and contrasting the water from a pond and a stream, testing for water clarity and admiring the size and lifecycle of our local tuna kuwharuwharu (long finned eels). They might spot a rare pateke, or a piwakawaka will join their session on bird calls and identification. With their newly learned skills of using the binoculars, they read bird bands and discuss the use of identifying different birds.

Delivery of this programme is only possible with the funding of the Mazda Foundation (towards the wages of our educator) and many smaller funders like Auckland Council, the Waitakere Ranges Local Board and The Trusts West. In this challenging funding climate, we can’t rely on these funding streams, so we are looking for 100 people, friends of Matuku Link, to forgo one coffee a week for a year and donate that $5 per week to us. Donate here.

If this sounds like you, please consider this proposal and visit our site to donate: www.matukulink.org.nz/support-us. We’re a charitable trust so all donations over $5 are tax deductible. For questions or other options, please contact me at hello@matukulink.org.nz Or contact one of our trustees to discuss: John Sumich, John Staniland, Chad Wilkie or Dale Bainbridge.

Thank you sincerely for your support, Annalily van den Broeke – 0212207136.