Seaweek 2020 - Marine Metre Squared (Mm2)

Create a splash during Seaweek 2020 by becoming a Marine Citizen Scientist. Help monitor Hawke’s Bay’s magnificent marine environment as part of the Marine Metre Squared (Mm2) project. Pick up your Mm2 How to Guide & Data Sheet and a Sandy & Muddy or Rocky Shore guide from your local Library during Seaweek 2020.

Awesome fun for all ages, anyone can take part – individuals, families, schools and community groups. Select an area of your local coastline to monitor and explore, record all the plants and animals you can see in a 1 m x 1 m square patch, then share your findings online. Check your How to Guide before you go to find out what you need to take and don’t forget to check the tide times.

Your survey can be completed at any time during the year. Alternatively, you can visit the mm2 website and download your own flyer, information sheet and Shore Guide. Don't forget to take some string with you to make your square.

Seaweek – Kaupapa Moana is New Zealand’s annual national week celebrating the sea which takes place from Saturday 29 February to Sunday 8 March 2020. Seaweek focuses on learning about the ocean because it is so important to all our lives, no matter how far you are from it!

Our mission is about exciting and inspiring all New Zealanders to renew their connections with the sea! This is not just for children or those involved with formal education – it’s a time for all of us to get to know our ocean, its habitats, characteristics and inhabitants better.

The Marine Metre Squared project is being run by the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre, University of Otago and supported by the Department of Conservation. Once you have recorded as much as you can find in your 1 m x 1 m square patch, log your findings at Mm2.

Ko au te moana, ko te moana ko au – I am the sea, the sea is me.

Have fun! Share your photos using #MarineMetreSquared and #KiwiGuardians so we can see what you’ve done.

Kids – you can claim a Toyota Kiwi Guardians Toa Kaipūtaiao – Citizen Scientist Medal and certificate for completing this activity. Visit the website to find out how to claim your medal. Toyota Kiwi Guardians is a joint initiative between Toyota New Zealand and the Department of Conservation to get more kids out into nature. There are lots of Actions & Adventures to participate in and each Kiwi Guardian activity has its own medal. Start your collection now and make a positive difference to the environment on the way.