BE ENTREPRENEURIAL!! 10M SST

This is something we did a while ago, but I did not blog on. In social studies we had been working on a future planning unit- working on concepts such as money management, future career and entrepreneurship. I created handmade cards to sell, designing the packaging, and organising the cost and shipping. The aim was to create a product that was going to bring in profit. We needed to do the necessary research into marketing and online financial transaction methods- this was a big focus for me as I already had a functioning product. We moved on before I got a chance to properly finish my research but I still thought it would be a good thing to have on my blog. Below is the slideshow containing my work. 

Genetic Disorder Poster: SCI 10M

During Science, our class has been working on a topic called Genetics and Evolution- as part of this unit we are required to research a type of genetic disorder/disease/condition and present it in a poster format. This will then account for 50% of our overall mark for this topic. The reason for this is because we have been doing student oriented learning system- this is where the members of the class get to design how we are going to learn. Most of us liked the idea of creating something visual to represent our work, so we compiled our work into a poster. Another factor that influenced our poster making was the feedback Matua Ihaka had received from the class- a large amount of us disagreed with having our entire grade based on the results in our tests, as most of did relatively well throughout the unit, but might not do so well in the test. Anyway, this is the poster I created on Albinism. 

DTY Y10: Cybersafty

 

Level 1 Physical Education: Renegade Hockey Reflection

 Today I would give myself a 5/5 for effort and participation in this training because I believe I participated fully in the lessons activities and tried my hardest to improve the skills I have developed. As far as skill progression is involved, I would give myself a 1/5 for development and performance- not to downgrade or downplay my efforts, I simply believe that recognizing the potential for improvement is one of the keys to success in sport. We have also only scratched the surface of renegade hockey, learning the fundamental basic skills needed to be able to play effectively. I can’t wait to see how much I am able to improve myself in this sport, even in the short amount of time that we have. 

Although we were not given a name, our team worked hard to communicate in the short time we had to play. It was our first chance to practice the skills we had developed in a ‘game’ environment. It was interesting to see how much we retained, and how much was disregarded the moment we were put in a slightly more competitive situation. I believe that there is a difference between being able to effectively perform the skills in a controlled setting, and being able to perform the skills in a game. If we are able to semi-master this by the end of this short unit, it will be a big improvement both in our ability as team players and in our own individual selves. 

I’m proud that I improved my ability to trap and dribble the ball, as both of these are essential skills when playing the game. It also showed the improvement in my hand-eye coordination ability over these past two lessons, which as I mentioned earlier, is one of the factors I want to improve in this unit. I also feel that any opportunity to test and strengthen your teaching and leadership skills is important- these opportunities are enabled by the peer coaching system of learning we undertake in this class. I feel that ‘practice makes perfect,’ and I am proud that I am able to test myself each time I make an effort to teach other people about a particular skill. As important as that factor is, it is also equally important to be an effective listener and I believe that my desire to achieve as much as I can in the short space of time is driving my ability to make the most of the information I am given. I also scored a goal, which is a once in a blue moon occurrence so I was very proud of that. 

Something I found challenging was working in a team- however, just because it is challenging does not mean that I did not enjoy it. I believe that working with other people is always going to test your abilities both to communicate and work as one with other people. I participate in mostly individual sports- swimming and running- so getting the chance to work in a team is both challenging and fun. Getting to witness how other people operate, sharing victory… and loss, building ties- a team environment is both a place where you can be pushed, capability wise, and improve knowing that you are not only improving as an individual but as a team. This is why I would say that, although this is what challenged me the most, it was also the aspect of our learning today that I found the most enjoyable. 

ROBOTICS: The 'Chillout app'

During Robotics we have been working on apps- creating them from instructions, and inventing our own. Below is an example of an app I created from instructions called the 'Chillout App' which plays different soothing noises depending on what button you click. We had to create the physical part of the app- the bit you would see when published- and then write the code which would bring our creation to life. I have taken screen shots to illustrate the different components of this app, which can be seen bellow:

This is the work place where you create the app. You have multiple functions to choose from that help bring your app to life. The image on the far left illustrates what the app looks like on your phone. 

When you go to run your program you have to chose to connect chromebook which brings up this screen:

You select MIT AI2 Companion and click OPEN. 

Finally you should see a progress bar appear and then you can open your MIT companion to run your program.

Please bare in mind that it will not work unless you have downloaded the MIT AI2 Companion onto your chromebook. 

Third icon to the right. 

SST - Managing the Environment: HYDROELECTRIC POWER

We have finalised our topic of Future Planning and moved into a 'Managing the Environment' unit which aims to teach us all about the natural world around us- more specifically looking at the environment and how it is impacted by human activities, spending time researching things like resources, Three Waters, and calculating our ecological footprint. At the moment we have been focusing on three main resources: Renewable, Non-renewable and services. The information below is from my brief research into Hydroelectric power, a form of renewable resource. 

Hydro power is an alternative form of energy that generates power and electricity through the natural flow of water. It is a renewable source which means that it cannot be depleted- unlike fossil fuels which are non renewable and on which we currently rely. Hydroelectric plants utilise the natural flow of water and use it to turn turbines- the action of which then produces electricity and power. 

However, all good things come in moderation, and hydroelectric power comes with certain restrictions, should the technology become normality. Water restrictions would have a more profound effect during the dry season, and moderation would need to be a concept more strongly enforced. 

Like all other forms of renewable energy, installing the necessary facilities to create hydroelectric power would be pricey- but if the government can afford to bring in laws that protecting gorse bushes (SNA), they could afford to invest some interest into a sustainable future for the citizens of this country, by providing cleaner and more affordable energy. 

All in all, hydroelectric power would put us on the path to solving many of the problems we face today- pollution being the main one. If we can invest some interest into figuring out a solution, and research  how we can harness the natural flow of our waterways, the future could begin to look more sustainable. 

Key Concepts SST

We are currently finalising a 'Future Planning' unit for social studies, concluding the topic by researching key concepts, as well as reflecting on our learning. We are preparing for our year eleven options and looking at career possibilities for the future is becoming the focus of our learning in many classes. The following are the key concepts we have been researching: 

CAREER

A career is a professional path or occupation which is undertaken for an extended period of your lifetime and from which one can derive financial benefit. A career can also be defined as a long-term financial profession determined by your goals, ambitions and interests. For example: if Amanda loved to help people and chose to pursue a job in the medical field, and then became a doctor, this would be her career. If Amanda loved helping people but did not derive a profit from her actions, then that could be defined as a hobby. Your career is not your end goal, it is the journey it takes to get there. 

ENTERPRISE 

An enterprise is generally an original idea that has been developed into a small business. It is a project or undertaking which is designed to provide financial benefit and potentially grow into a larger business. Often, enterprise can have a high risk factor, meaning that it is created with the high possibility that it will not succeed, or not provide much profit. For example: Karen buys one bunch of six bananas for $3, and sells each banana for $1.50. She sells all six, subsidising the three dollars she paid for the bananas originally, and making $6 profit. Now she can buy two bunches of six bananas for $6, sell them at a price of $1.50 each, subsidise the six dollars, and make 12 dollars profit. Now she can buy four bunches of six bananas, sell them for $1.50 each, subsidise the twelve dollars used and make a profit of $24. And so on and so forth. The risk factor here would be the idea that people would not be prepared to pay $1.50 per banana. 

ENTREPRENEUR

An entrepreneur is the brains behind the enterprise- they are the ones generating the idea. Generally an entrepreneur develops an original idea into a small business to provide profit, much like the banana selling example above. As mentioned before, these ideas come with a high risk factor- they are built with the knowledge that they could fail. An entrepreneur takes financial risks with their idea in anticipation of a profit. So to summarise, an entrepreneur makes the best of an opportunity or idea, aware of the financial risks, in the hope of making a profit and capitalising the idea. 

WALT DISNEY

As we have previously determined, an entrepreneurial person is someone who develops a high risk idea into a business to create profit. Based on the idea that enterprise is a high risk idea developed into a profit organisation, we can identify the moments in Walt Disney’s career that define him as an entrepreneur. When he was 18 years old he pursued a career in newspaper artistry- he then began experimenting with cameras, creating his very first animations. He then opened his own business and flourished from there. What I haven’t mentioned is that he suffered a substantial amount of hardship in his career, hence showing us the high risk element of starting his own company. He became bankrupt numerous times before he came to be known as the Founder of Disneyland. I chose Walt Disney as an entrepreneur because his career shows us the extremes of entrepreneurialism, and is an example for all people struggling to find their dreams- passion, determination and hard work can help you reach your goals, regardless of the obstacles you might encounter along the way. 

Career, entrepreneur, enterprise- three concepts which correlate into our current future planning unit. These concepts all have something to do with providing financial profit, which is, in essence, a fairly fundamental part of our ‘future.’ How I relate these three concepts to our current topic is the idea that they all revolve around a fairly significant and prominent aspect of our futures- money. Career- the pathway you take in life to make money, enterprise- a high risk idea for a business, and entrepreneur- the people who make these high risk ideas reality. All these concepts tie in with our plans for the future, which is why they relate to ‘Future Planning’ as a topic.  

This topic is working towards planning forward into our futures. This is particularly applicable in our current situations as we are choosing our year eleven options, beginning to direct our learning towards the career path we wish to take. Future planning is a unit devoted to educating students about financial choices and giving us an introduction into the real world ideas of money- it is also allowing us to think in depth about our career paths. To compare the two situations- the topic and choosing our year eleven options- the topic teaches us to look into the future, after schooling, at what our career choice will be, requiring us to choose a definite job to base our research on. Our year eleven options teaches you to, yes, to look into the future at your career, but also to keep your options open, literally and figuratively. The similarities are that both look into your career, and ‘planning’ for the future. 

This topic revolved around identifying a career choice for the future- choosing a definite job profile to do our research on. This topic was challenging for me because it required forward thinking and research, identifying and accounting for different variables before coming to a definite answer. I had trouble deciding on a career to investigate because I didn’t want to feel constrained by that choice, even though it was just for a research project. This topic also allowed us to investigate the realistic financial requirements to exist comfortably in our society today, challenging our perspective on money and the idea that it does not just grow on trees. 

Change is the result of action, action is the result of… well a whole host of different factors. This topic has helped me break a mental barrier I previously had- the idea that determining your career choice now, confines you for the future. This is not true, and it is only through this project that I have come to terms with that fact. Through this research investigation I have learnt that never wanting to give something a go for fear that it will restrict you, means you will never try anything. Pretty impressive discovery. So how does this research project become an action plan for change? Well it gives people a realistic idea of the financial requirements needed to live, it gives people an insight into their career interests, it allows people to devise their own action plan for life. This research project gives students the ability to feel more independent about their career choice, this is the action plan for change. Allowing students to be more independent, and gain an idea of their career paths before making career altering decisions, makes students more prepared for change after they leave school. The action plan for change, is preparation. 

This topic has reviewed a multitude of different concepts regarding our future- finance, career paths, business. This unit has allowed us to address our plans for the future, looking into our career paths and the realistic requirements for living in our current society. As previously discussed this is particularly relevant as we approach year eleven, when the time for choosing our options looms near. This topic resulted in several mental breakthroughs for me personally, and all in all this topic has been thoroughly mind broadening. I would conclude by saying that this unit has educated me in the realistic requirements needed for existing in today’s society. Comfortably. 

SST - What is Enterprise?

During lockdown we have been working on a Future Planning unit, currently looking into enterprise. This unit is particularly applicable to our current situation at school- year eleven is looming ever closer, and we are currently choosing our options for next year. Below is a slide I have worked on to answer the question, what is enterprise? 

Creative Writing for English

During the past few days of lockdown, 10M has been working on developing their creating writing, using sentence starters to prompt our stories. After completing the first part of our story, we swapped with someone else, completing their story. I swapped with Lia and our final results where as follows: 

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE TALENT SHOW

Lia - I admit I was jealous, but what happened at the talent show was not entirely my fault….

Let me explain...It all started two weeks ago when an abundance of school students tried out for the annual school talent show, one of those students being my nemesis. I happened to be really grumpy that day as I spilt my cereal all over my laptop. I stumbled across Lilith (yes that’s her dreadfully ugly name) while waiting in line. I was holding my props tightly in my hands, knuckles turning white. She sashayed over to where I was standing, looked me up and down as if saying ‘what are you doing here?.”

  “What do you want, you snide beast?,” I sneered at her.

  “I could ask you the same thing, fainting goat,” she quickly snapped back at me.

I know, the typical rivalry converse between two that despise each other. I just can’t help myself. Really. I turned my back to the atrocious beast, minimising her existence within my consciousness to a nominal, giving her the wonderful cold hand.

Later, when I filed onto the stage to give the judges my entry performance, something horrible happened. As I was implementing a magic performance, I had many props tucked away here and there. As I was going about my magical performance everything seemed just fine, to start with. As I pulled my magician's wand out to start performing an additional trick, the stage speakers crackled, then blasted a voice recording of myself - I recognised it immediately. The voice recording was of a younger me talking about a crush I had on this boy earlier on in my life, I turned the colour of my Grandma’s lipstick in a matter of seconds. My brain was already hectically putting together a list of possible suspects of this vicious violation of my privacy. But only one person could be the prime suspect, yes you guessed it, Lilith. I saw her laughing hysterically out of the corner of my eye. Reality came crashing back down on me in no time. I was standing in the literal middle of the stage stark red in the face. One of the judges was politely asking me to leave the stage.

  “Can I try again please?,” I stuttered.

Someone laughed.

  “I’m not sure that this voice recording illustrates what exactly talent is, darling,” said another judge.

  “Y-You don’t understand,” I pleaded. “I didn-”

  “I am very sure we understand; please take your leave,” said the same judge.

I stood there for a second utterly gobsmacked at what had just occurred. I floated off the stage, as if I weren’t alive. Lilith, was all I thought as I walked home at the end of the day, I will get her back. Two weeks later: the night of the talent show.

To be continued... 

Lilly- The air was tinged with anticipation as people milled around backstage waiting for their calls. People were doing the final checks on their props, eradicating even the tiniest mistakes that could cause horrific damage to their acts. I stood there clutching the microphone in my hand, repeatedly going over my cue cards. 

  “Too bad we never got to see your entry audition,” came the voice of the dreaded creature from behind me, “I would have loved to see your immeasurable talent put on show.” 

I turned around, bracing my eyes against her hellish appearance. Summoning as much sarcasm into my voice as physically possible, I said,

“Lilith, thank you so much for contributing your unique point of view, and I feel so much better knowing I have your support.” 

I followed this statement up with a theatrical hair flip, practically sending my glasses flying off my face, and marched further into the throng of people roaming around backstage. My face was flaming by the time I reached the changing rooms, and barely contained tears of humiliation stung my eyes, begging to be released. I wrenched open the door of one cubicle and stumbled in, slamming it shut behind me. Why, oh why must this woe befall me? I wondered to myself. I don't quite know what possessed me then, it was as if I was detached from my body, conscious of what was occurring but no longer in control. I saw myself ascending the steps up to the stage, Lilith's horror struck face as she saw me come onto the raised platform, right in front of where she was performing. I heard her pause mid rendition of the song “Firework”, her voice screeching to a stop as she shouted at me to get off the stage. I saw myself floating over to her and wrenching the microphone from her grasp. I started to stomp my feet, clap my hands, and like the wild things, I gnashed my terrible teeth, and roared my terrible roar. What happened next was very unexpected. I started to sing, a loud pure song bursting forth from my chest, like a tidal wave of anger directed at the person standing in front of me. This song was the result of hours spent sobbing in toilets, of late nights spent worrying what tortures the next day would bring- this song was from the darkest depths of my heart. I opened my mouth and let the words flow from me:

Bullies are people you cannot forget,

Bullies are people who do not regret.

Bullies are people who thrive on your fear, 

Well I have a question for you bullie dear. 

Why, why do you treat us this way? 

Does it make you feel better, does it make you feel sane? 

I wonder, does it take away your pain?

To see me stranded here this way? 

On and on, stomping my feet, clapping my hands, letting these words flow through me. Then suddenly I was back in my body and everything became too much- the lights, beat, music, shouting. And then I was brought back to reality with a sharp smack. My hand flew to my cheek and I looked at Lilith with murder in my eyes. I started towards her but was wrenched back by a security guard and hauled off stage. 

Like I said, it wasn’t entirely my fault that the talent show was canceled.

THE WAVE

The rickety old fishing boat drifted aimlessly out in the open sea, sending ripples dancing across the otherwise opalescent surface. The boat carried two people, one as old as the boat itself, the other as young as new fishing rods they both held outstretched over the water. The two were startlingly similar in appearance, with dark skin the colour of crushed coffee beans, and molten honey coloured eyes. The old man's eyes displayed childish mischief and cunning, their honey golden depths twinkling with unspoken humour. The young girl's eyes seemed to display an outward wisdom her grandfathers lacked, and looking into their amber expanse was like trying to find the bottom of the sea. 

They sat there gazing at the ocean, the old man with the young eyes and the young girl with the old eyes, neither speaking to the other, both content to be drifting out to nowhere. A breeze ruffled their hair and the young girl glanced worriedly into the wind, her gaze flying around in search of… something. The old man had fallen asleep so she shook him awake, pointing at the dark cloud that had begun to gather on the horizon. The breeze had transformed into a full blown gale, wind howling over the small boat, galloping over the two shaking passengers who clutched each other in an effort to stay afloat. They were in the heart of the raging storm, only able to watch as a mammoth wave rose over them, yawning towards them like the jaws of a howling beast. It tore their boat apart, plunging the old man and the girl into the heart of Davy Jones Locker. Sinking was like flying, the girl thought for the last time before she fell into the all consuming embrace of darkness. 

to be continued…

Lia- Waves crashed over her head as she struggled to keep her head over the water. White foam clouded her vision as she went under anew. She grappled on for a good while until she began to feel the merciless wrath of exhaustion. Is this really how I die? she thought, is this really the end? She tried everything within her power to keep fighting, to fight the endless yawning jaws of the dark beast that was feeding tirelessly on her strength. So she gave up. She had come to the conclusion that this was the best way to bring an end to it all. So she let the darkness take her. So she thought…

She was like a sponge full of water. Her organs and tissues were damp and soggy from being in the water for such a long duration of time. She was brushing death, the dark, engrossing and exhausting edges of what she very well knew to be the end. Everything she was able to see - whether she had her eyes open or not - was either black, grey or some other shade in between. She felt as if her body as a whole was paralysed; she was unable to move, detect where exactly she was, much less what state she was in. Her mind floated endlessly along the brinks of death, neither conscious, nor unconscious. As she floated in her head space, she became aware of two things; one, she was exceedingly cold; two, she was alone. How she was aware of these things without being completely conscious, she did not know. Intuition, perhaps. Her mind was elsewhere, in a different world full of the bleak colour grey. Endless, endless abyss. Nothing. Nowhere. 

A strong hand latched onto her arm, a second one seizing her other arm, hauling her out of wherever rabbit hole she happened to be in. She was dragged over the edge of something hard and rugged, pieces of brittle wood piercing into her water weathered skin. She was gently laid onto the floor of something hard and uncomfortable. She heard a gruff, but kind voice;

  “It’ll be ok, don’t you worry.”

Future Planning Research- SST

We are currently in a future planning unit for social studies- as the end of the year draws closer, so does the time for choosing our year eleven options, and this unit allows us to have a closer look at our future careers. We had a list of things to investigate:

- Job Title
- Income Total
- Study Time & Cost
- Cost to own your chosen home - weekly rent or mortgage repayments.
- Furniture etc
- Monthly cost for Power, internet, water rates, -
- Weekly Food Cost
- Mobile Bill
- Car loan and repayments
- Children? No
- Clothing
- Eating Out?
- Life insurance
- House/contents insurance
- Planned Holiday
- Health Bill
- EXTRA- Hobbies
- Retirement Plan

This helped us gain an understanding, realistically, of the cost it takes to live comfortably in the modern world- it's a lot. My job title was graphic designer as it incorporates a large number of the things I am interested in- drawing, rendering, computer graphics, adobe suite, creativity, ect. I am not sure if this is the career I will pursue, but for now it seems like something geared towards my interests. Below is the slideshow containing my research on the topic. I would like to note that many of the figures are estimated, and provide a framework as supposed to being 100% reliable. 

Tangata Rongonui Research: 10MAO

Ingoa: Dame Te Atairangikaahu

Important facts about your person?

Dame Te Atairangikaahu, of Ngati Mahuta, Ngati Apakura and Ngati Maniapoto, was the first woman chosen to lead Kīngitanga (the Māori king movement), becoming the first Māori queen. Born Pikimene Korokī Mahuta, or Princess Piki, she later assumed her mother’s name, which is what she became widely known as. She was born at Waahi pā on the 23rd of July, the youngest of two female siblings, and was educated at the local Rakaumanga Native School, subsequently groomed for leadership from a young age. Her aunt, Te Puea Herangi, was very influential in her life, and prepared her to lead the Kīngitanga, should she be chosen for the role in later life. At the age of fifteen, her aunt sent her to board at Te Rahui Wahine, a Methodist school where she became a prefect, her leadership skills prevalent from a young age. While Te Puea ensured that Piki was comfortable socialising in a European environment, she made sure Piki never lost sight of her Māori heritage. Overall, Piki’s passage into the political world, and her success in that field, is largely attributed to the assistance, encouragement and pressure placed on her by her aunt. During a visit from Queen Elizabeth the ll and the Duke of Edinburgh to Tūrangawaewae, Princess Piki was the one to lead them into the marae, her father, Korokī, the leader of the Kīngitanga at the time, fell back, and many people viewed this as him marking Princess Piki as his heir. Over the years, he grew increasingly ill, and Piki represented him more and more, demonstrating her confidence and charm as a leader. Following his death, Piki was elected queen, but was reluctant to accept her role and she chose to strongly mark her ascension by taking on her mother’s name- who had passed the previous year. 

What did he/she do to contribute to the survival of te reo Māori?

Te Atairangikaahu was the leader of the Kīngitanga for over forty years, and she contributed extensively to the survival of Te Reo Māori. Not only was she responsible for the continuous hosting of many Māori events, but she became ingrained in the community. People respected her as a leader- she could be seen attending a rugby game as much as the theatre or opera, and her speeches reflected the beliefs of her people. She traveled extensively overseas, and gained greater respect, not just for the Māori people, but for all of Aotearoa. She was a strong supporter of many cultural events, including the Pacific arts festival, ensuring that traditions were upheld, and not forgotten. A key event in her reign was the Waikato Raupatu Settlement in 1995, settling the ongoing land disputes in the region, and gaining acknowledgment from the government to help come to a mutual agreement that would suit both parties- the Pākēha and Māori tribes who had lost land during colonisation. Te Atairangikaahu was an advocate for Māori, working to uphold the traditions that had been passed down through generations. She was a patroness for the Māori Women's Welfare League and kōhanga reo movement. She continually expressed the importance of maintaining the language in youth. In 1970, Te Atairangikaahu became the first Māori women to be made a Dame. Her perseverance and determination in the revitalization of Te Reo Māori, is a key time in the history of the language. 

Why did you select this person?

For me, choosing Whina Cooper would have been the obvious choice, as she is well known for contributing to the survival of Te Reo Māori. However, I wanted to investigate someone I didn’t know anything about- so I chose Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Before completing this research I knew nothing about her- my understanding of important Māori figures through the years is very limited- and I really wanted to broaden my knowledge. The reason I chose Dame Te Atairangikaahu is because I wanted to learn more about different people who have contributed to the survival of a precious taonga of Māori culture- the language. 

What can you contribute to continue the legacy of your Tangata Rongonui?  

In my opinion, the greatest thing we can gather from Te Atairangikaahu’s actions is to never give up. Stand up for what is right, stand up for the people that can’t do it themselves. Preserve what is precious to your community, culture, people. To contribute to her legacy, we cannot forget- teach the language, learn- anybody can continue this legacy, everybody can contribute, you don’t need Māori heritage to keep a precious culture alive. Don’t laugh at someone because they can’t pronounce the words, because they might be trying really hard. My chosen Tangata Rongonui was Te Atairangikaahu, who taught people that determination can be the backbone of keeping what you love, alive. 

POSTER OF MY TANGATA RONGONUI

Social Studies: Significant Natural Areas

Significant Natural Areas, otherwise known as SNA, are areas of land that have been identified to have a high ecological value. In other words: there are special plants and animals residing on that land. This is an initiative brought in by the Resource Management Act and implemented by the Far North District Council, with the aim to put a lid on habitat loss and land development. To do this, the FNDC (Far North District Council) is bringing in specific rules and regulations which will have a massive impact on property owners. Land owners will no longer be authorised to clear, develop or subdivide their property, unless they apply for resource consent from the council, plus an additional fee. You are allowed to plant native species within the SNA, but bringing in exotic vegetation is no longer allowed. Finally, land owners are under no obligation to introduce fencing onto their property to actively protect the SNA areas, but you are not compensated for having SNA land on your property.  

Under no obligation... Land owners can no longer develop, subdivide or clear their land without consent from the council, an extra fee, and building management- but landowners are under no obligation to protect the SNA. This new initiative removes a land owner's freedom to dictate what occurs on their land- land that is rightfully theirs, land they have already paid for. It might be argued that the FNDC is simply trying to protect the land, not take it away from people, but the rules and regulations that would be put in place should this action go ahead would restrict landowners in such a way that they essentially no longer own the land. 

Firstly, property owners own their respective areas of land- they have already paid for it, meaning that legally, they have the right to use the land as they so wish- within reason. Introducing the SNA initiative would mean that landowners must apply for a resource consent from the council before developing their land- the council then needs to approve the application, leaving the overall decision of what the owner can do with their land to the council. How can land owners be expected to cooperate with the new initiative, if it means that land they own is essentially going to be placed in the possession of the council- maybe not intentionally, but that is what will happen under the rules and regulations the action brings in. 

Secondly, the import and planting of exotic vegetation within land that is SNA is strictly prohibited without consent from the council. To put this in perspective, if a house you own is already on SNA land and you want to put a hedge in place to conceal the house slightly, you are not allowed to do this, or you must pay the council the additional fees. Again, this initiative is dictating what you can and cannot do on your property- yes, they are trying to slow habitat loss to introduced species, but they are doing it at land owners expense, they are doing it at the communities expense. This initiative is simply looking at areas of land that have native bush on them and saying, "yes that is protected," or "no you can't use that any more," etc, etc- instead of isolating the areas of land that can easily be protected, they are looking at every scrap of land in the far north, not taking into consideration: land owners, property and areas that are already covenanted. They are trying to protect all the land, when that is not realistically possible. Then there is also the question of whether they are attempting to protect the land or are doing what has been described as a "modern land grab." I believe that this initiative does not consider land and property owners in the far north, it does not consider the people of Te Tai Tokerau, and as a result is most accurately described as a modern land grab. Oh, by the way, gorse is considered SNA...  

Thirdly, you still have to pay land rates and you are not compensated for having SNA on your property. So despite the fact that you have already paid for the property, are paying land rates for land that you currently can use, you are not going to be compensated for having SNA on your land- meaning that should the action go through, that land containing SNA and will essentially be unusable by owners, who have already paid for that land with the intention of using it in some way. And land owners are still required to pay for that land that they are unable to use. So, you have to pay for land you can't use, and are not compensated for not being able to use that land. Out of the three main regulations listed above, this one strikes me as the one that causes people to describe this SNA initiative as a land grab. The FNDC is responsible for the execution of this action, but they need to take into consideration the members of the Northland community, modifying the initiative to better suit our current environment.  

Taking away people's freedom to decide removes their willingness to cooperate. Taking away people's ability to freely make a decision only makes people more strongly oppose the decision in the first place. The council is trying to protect our precious habitat and land, yes, but the way they are going about it is driving people to attack, disagree and protest the introduction of this initiative. The FNDC needs to see that completely halting the development and usage of land is not going to solve the major issue of habitat loss. I believe that our country is panicking, trying to make up for the land we have already lost to pasture and paddock, factory and farm- shutting down property owners' ability to develop their land will not solve the problem in the long run, I believe it will make it worse. We can neither continue to destroy the sparse natural habitat that remains in Northland- but neither can we completely stop the development of the forty two percent of land that has been identified as SNA. Maori or commercial land, this new SNA policy will affect both, and the people of the Northland community and the FNDC need to come to a constructive solution to help tackle the habitat issue our country is facing. 

Below is a map that shows areas of land that have been identified as SNA. Please comment if your property or areas of land you own fall under an SNA area.  

ENG - Wild Pork and Watercress

During our Y10 ENG classes this term we have been working on a novel study of the book Wild Pork and Watercress, by New Zealand famous author Barry Crump. You might be more familiar with the movie adaptation: Hunt for the Wilderpeople. To summarise the plot, Richard Morehu Baker goes to live with his Aunt Bella and Uncle Hec following a series of failed housing attempts. He slowly learns how to live on the farm, becoming and adept hunter and a great help to his foster family. All is well until Aunty Bella suffers from a stroke, passing away mere months after taking Rickey in. Uncle Hec is forced to leave the farm, and Rickey would have had to return to the social welfare people had he and Uncle Hec not run away into the bush. The majority of the book recounts the adventures the pair experience whilst in the bush; broken feet, running from the authorities and becoming wanted outlaws. The book concludes with an epitaph recounted from the view of another character, showing the story in an entirely new light. 

Following Uncle Hec and Rickey's journey, watching as they come to relate to each other more and more, and laughing at Rickey's comical perspective and outlook at life- I would thoroughly recommend this book to anybody, as it is a fairly easy read, highly entertaining, and contains many valuable life lessons. 

SST - What is a leader?

What is a leader? The dictionary defines leadership as: “The action of leading a group of people or an organisation. The state or position of being a leader. The leaders of an organisation, country, etc.” So by definition, a leader is someone who stands at the head of a country; a prime minister, a president- personal qualities include: an ability to make difficult decisions, speak confidently in public, focus on the task at hand. This is leadership in the most robotic, successful and efficient sense. However that definition leaves out the humane aspects of leadership. The aspects that gain a leader respect and encourage others to follow. Traits such as open-mindedness, honesty, integrity and drive. Someone who is competent in both these aspects of leadership will excel as a leader. 

A person I believe displayed these qualities is Dame Whina Cooper; her determination in gaining equal rights for the Maori community and leading her people to fight for what they believe. Born in northern Hokianga in 1895, Whina Cooper quickly began to play an active role in the community, helping to set up Maori land development schemes- eleven in total, comprising forty thousand to ninety eight thousand acres. Following the death of her second husband, Bill Cooper, in 1949, Whina Cooper moved to Auckland where she became a pan-tribal Maori leader. She also founded the Women's Welfare League, an organisation that by the mid-1950’s had over three hundred branches and four thousand members. However, Dame Whina Cooper is most well known for leading the 1975 land march from Te Hapua, the far north, to the parliament in Wellington. At the age of eighty, Whina Cooper walked over one hundred kilometres, to champion for the rights of her people. At the end of her journey, Whina Cooper presented the prime minister with a petition signed by over six thousand people- an incredible achievement from an eighty year old woman that shows that you are never too old to make a change. Dame Whina Cooper passed away in 1994 at the age of ninety eight. In my opinion Whina Cooper is an incredible example of a leader for the reasons stated above. 

SST PODCAST

For the past few weeks during our social studies classes, we have been working on producing our first ever podcasts. These encompassed personal facts such as our date of birth, as well as our interests and life stories. We were learning to utilise the platform WeVideo to create podcasts and will use it in the future as ways of presenting our assessments. 

Robotics - Microbit Code: Dice

This is the result of our work in robotics so far. We have learnt how to utilise the microbit, creating codes and uploading them onto the device, allowing us to do all sorts of cool things. One of these is the example below- rock, paper, scissors. Click the shake button on the simulator to run the program.  

SST - Bean to Bar: The Journey of Whittakers Cocoa

Click on the image above to access google earth presentation. 

We are currently in a human rights unit for social studies, researching the journey of cocoa from bean to bar, talking about the ethical issues along the way. Below is the google earth visual presentation I made to illustrate the journey of cocoa. 

Science: Heart and Lungs Unit

The topic we have been working on in Science at the moment is called 'Heart and Lungs'. As the name suggests, this topic explores the heart and lungs as well as the blood and circulatory system. We have learnt the difference between oxygenated and deoxygenated blood, which is commonly represented by red and blue, red being oxygenated and blue representing deoxygenated blood. We learnt the function of the lungs, which is to reoxygenate the blood as it passes through on its way to the heart. The heart itself is extremely strong, pumping the equivalent of 7, 200 litres of blood each day. Comprised of four chambers known as atrium's and ventricles, which accurately makes our heart known as a four chambered heart. The blood travels into the atrium and is then pumped into the ventricle, before being pumped out of the heart and to its respective place. Valves in the lining of the artery's that lead to the heart, known as semi-lunar valves, fill with escaping blood and press together to form a seal, preventing blood from falling back into the heart. We also learnt about the two different jobs that the heart completes. The right side of the heart is responsible for pumping deoxygenated blood to the lungs to get reoxygenated and then pumping it back into the heart, to be pumped around the body. For this reason, the right side of the heart is often much weaker, the muscle not as thick, due to the fact that it only needs to be pumped to the lungs and not around the entire body. That is the job of the left side of the heart, which is constantly working to pump the newly oxygenated blood around the body. This is why the left side of the heart is visibly much stronger, because it's job is to pump blood to the entire body, which is much more strenuous. We learnt about the coronary veins which line the surface of the heart and are responsible for providing the heart with a constant source of oxygen to prevent it from becoming too strained. Finally we learn about the actual composition of blood, and the four main components which make it up. Plasma, the liquid component of blood which is responsible for transporting the nutrients around the body. Plasma makes up 55% of the blood. Next are the Red Blood Cells, or RBC. They are the cells responsible for transporting oxygen around the body. They are the only cell that does not possess a nucleus, instead possessing haemoglobin, which attracts oxygen to affix itself to the cell and gives it its read colour. They make up 45% of the blood. The remaining less than 1% is made up of leukocytes (White blood cells, WBC) and platelets. WBC are responsible for producing the necessary antibodies to help arm the immune system and fight infection. Platelets are the body's natural plaster, clotting the blood around open wounds to form scabs which prevent the wound from bleeding; they make up less than 1% of the bloods volume. That concluded our learning for this unit for the duration of 2020. We will finalise the topic with an assessment when we return in 2021.