Inspiring the Next Generation of Marine Guardians
Here in Mercury Bay, we’re incredibly lucky to have Te Whanganui-o-Hei Marine Reserve – one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most amazing marine environments – right on our doorstep. It is a place full of life and biodiversity, and more importantly, a place rich with opportunity to learn. At Glass Bottom Boat Whitianga, we believe that protecting this taonga for the future begins with education today.
That belief is at the heart of our marine education programme with Mercury Bay Area School, where we work with a year group to introduce students to the marine reserve – not just as a place to visit, but as a living ecosystem that needs care, understanding and respect.
The programme begins in the classroom, where students learn about the marine environment, local species, and why marine protection is so important. We cover conservation, marine safety, and the role marine reserves play in protecting biodiversity. This session lays the foundation, giving students the knowledge and curiosity they need before they step onto the water.
The real magic happens when that classroom is brought onto the glass bottom boat where students are able to see, first-hand, what they’ve been learning about. Through the glass panels, students see schools of fish, kelp forests, rocky reefs, and the intricate balance of life beneath the surface. For some children, it’s their first time on a boat, or in the reserve, or seeing the underwater world for themselves.
In Term 2, 2025, we were proud to take 84 Year 6 students from Mercury Bay Area School out into the marine reserve. Here they continued to learn about the protected environment, identified the different marine species, and saw how marine life thrives when an area is carefully managed. Some lucky classes were even treated to the unforgettable experience of seeing dolphins.
Hands on marine education is more than learning facts – it’s about building understanding, respect and a sense of responsibility. We are incredibly lucky to have such an extraordinary marine reserve and the resources to explore it right on our doorstep, and we believe it’s important for the younger generation to see and experience it.
Our hope is that this programme does more than teach children about fish and kelp. We want to inspire future conservationists, marine biologists, skippers, scientists and ocean advocates.
By educating our children today, we are investing in the future protection of Te Whanganui-o-Hei Marine Reserve. When young people understand why something matters, they are far more likely to stand up for it. And that is how lasting conservation begins – with knowledge, experience and a love for what lies beneath the surface.
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