Venture Taranaki, the regional development agency, has announced six new community-based science projects have been funded through the Curious Minds Taranaki programme.

Led by Venture Taranaki and funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Venture Taranaki has secured funding to deliver the Participatory Science Platform in Taranaki until June 2024 with $154,000 of project funding available to allocate annually.

"Securing a long-term contract for Curious Minds Taranaki means we can continue to support collaborative community projects that have positive impacts for the region and its people," says Anne Probert, GM Regional Strategy and Sectors.

The announcement brings the total number of projects in the region to 66 and the funding amount distributed in Taranaki to a total $1,120,390 since beginning in 2015.The six new projects are a diverse mix, focusing on environmental issues, wellbeing, and mātauranga Māori science, involving partnerships with community groups, schools, and local hapū.

Ngā motu Whānui Manumoana, facilitated by Taranaki Mounga Project, will see a group of coastal Taranaki schools and hapū investigating new methods of monitoring the seabird populations on the Ngā motu islands, using drones to record population numbers, with the aim of minimising human interaction in the process.

Using virtual reality (VR), a Alzheimers Taranaki project, was carried out in a previous Curious Minds Taranaki project in 2020 which revealed the power of virtual reality to trigger complex and detailed memories for people living with dementia. Now their follow-on project will see local digital technology students and Dr. Linda Jones further explore the effects of these VR triggered memories and evaluate their benefits.

Shark Spy Taranaki - Diving Deeper, is driven by the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre. In 2021 they conducted an earlier project which provided valuable information on some of the 14 or so shark species in Taranaki waters. This year the Shark Spy Taranaki - Diving Deeper project involves several schools and community groups collecting baited underwater video that has been deployed in partnership with Chaddy’s Charters.

Keeping you safe, a Taranaki Retreat project, will be exploring how physical support environments impact the wellbeing and recovery of those experiencing emotional distress, aiming to provide information of value to the Retreat and other services supporting people in distress.

The Mai te Awa ki te Moana project involves Ōkahu Inuawai me ētehi atu Hapū using their local knowledge and understanding (mātauranga-a-hapū) to better understand and care for the takutai moana (foreshore and seabed) in the Ōhawe area of South Taranaki. They will work with Professor Kura Paul-Burke of University of Waikato, a mātauranga Māori science expert, to build a methodology for monitoring significant coastal sites, this is the first step in their ultimate goal of restoring rockpools and reefs around Ōhawe.

The sixth project aims to answer the question, did curiosity kill the possum? The East Taranaki Environment Collective would like to find the answer to this question, and recently began managing pest control at Everett Park, near Inglewood. A trap network will be laid to target possums in the park with the help of students from Norfolk School, involving setting up cameras to observe possum behaviour and testing four trap designs.

"Curious Minds has been running successfully for seven years and these six newly announced projects, are exciting additions to the existing pool of diverse kaupapa that encourage groups to use science, technology, and Mātauranga Māori to develop solutions for real world issues in our community, reflecting our regional strategic goals and aspirations for a better tomorrow," continues Anne.

On the back of the six new project announcements, Venture Taranaki has appointed a new Curious Minds Coordinator. Thom Adams will be joining the Te Puna Umanga team from 12 July.

"It’s great to be back home and to be stepping into this role. I’m looking forward to engaging with these groups and others to undertake all kinds of research projects that are locally relevant, exploring a diverse range of important questions right around the maunga to bring together science and technology and community to drive quality learning outcomes," says Thom. 

"If you have a project in mind, I encourage you to register your idea so we can discuss if it can be turned into research action," says Thom.

The core objective of the Curious Minds Participatory Science Platform is to build capability, and a life-long interest and fascination with science, through engaging, real-world research, to inspire and provide relevance as to how science forms a critical part of our daily lives.

For more information on PSP and Curious Minds in Taranaki, please visit the Venture Taranaki website. 

SUPPORTING INFORMATION:

Ngā motu Whānui Manumoana
The Taranaki Mounga Project will be investigating new methods of monitoring the seabird populations on the Ngā motu islands, offshore of New Plymouth. The motu are an important habitat for 19 species of seabird with around 10,000 birds thought to nest on the islands. Birds have previously been counted manually, which is challenging for the counters and disruptive to the birds.

The Curious Minds project will involve using drones to count birds, including at night with thermal imaging cameras. The aim is to get accurate counts of bird populations with minimal human interaction. A group of coastal Taranaki schools and hapū are also involved.

Using Virtual Reality
Alzheimers Taranaki carried out a previous Curious Minds Taranaki project in 2020 which revealed the power of virtual reality to trigger complex and detailed memories for people living with dementia. This follow-on project will further explore the effects of these VR triggered memories and see if there are benefits on mood, language, memory and social cognition for both people living with dementia, and for a cohort of older adults not living with dementia.

Local digital technology students will be helping on the project which is being led by Dr Linda Jones.

Did curiosity kill the possum?
The East Taranaki Environment Collective (ETEC) has recently begun managing pest control at Everett Park, near Inglewood. ETEC will be putting in trap network to target possums in the Park. The project involves testing four trap designs to assess how possums interact with the traps and which is most effective. Cameras will be set up to observe possum behaviour including how and for how long they explore the trap before either entering or moving on. The outcomes of the project will be relevant to the broader predator free initiative in Taranaki and around New Zealand.

Students of Norfolk School are supporting the project.

Keeping you safe
Taranaki Retreat will be exploring how physical support environments impact the wellbeing and recovery of those experiencing emotional distress. The project will explore how the physiological and emotional stress of those supported by the Retreat changes over the course of their engagement. It will also explore people’s experiences of accessing different environments (such as emergency services) for support with acute emotional distress.

It aims to provide information that will be of value to the Retreat and other services supporting people in distress.

Shark Spy Taranaki - Diving Deeper
The New Zealand Marine Studies Centre conducted an earlier Shark Spy project in 2021 which provided valuable information on some of the 14 or so shark species in Taranaki waters. This diving deeper project involves several schools and community groups collecting baited underwater video that has been deployed in partnership with Chaddy’s Charters. Incidental sightings will also be recorded. The project has a goal of facilitating longer term monitoring in the region.

Mai te Awa ki te Moana
This project involves Ōkahu Inuawai me ētehi atu Hapū using their local knowledge and understanding (mātauranga-a-hapū) to better understand and care for the takutai moana (foreshore and seabed) in the Ōhawe area of South Taranaki.

Working with mātauranga Māori science expert, Professor Kura Paul-Burke of University of Waikato, they will build a methodology for monitoring significant coastal sites. This will provide baseline information and is the first step to their ultimate goal of encouraging the restoration of rockpools and reefs around Ōhawe.