Junior Marine Educational Program

Hiwi the Kiwi Goes Fishing

Check out Hiwi's New Site

The New Zealand Sports Fishing Council Inc was established 52 years ago and feel now is the time to encourage the young people of today to appreciate and respect the marine environment and participate in the many opportunities that we are privileged to have in New Zealand.

NZSFC have developed an exciting project that will teach the children of New Zealand about our fishery and the marine environment in a fun and educational way in the form of “Hiwi the Kiwi Goes Fishing”. There are so many areas that this covers, including water safety in all its aspects, and as children are our future now is the time to educate them on how to manage, protect and preserve our marine environment

The health benefits for the children being outdoors and appreciating Kai Moana speaks for itself.

The Council has been working with Mark de Lacy, aka The Minstrel, to develop and produce a humorous and instructive educational project. On completion The Minstrel will travel the country and present this programme to hundreds of schools. Mark and his wife have spent the past ten years travelling the country presenting the Hiwi the Kiwi character to school children and passing on values and messages through the use of humorous stories and songs and are already well known to the children

Forward bookings of 160 plus schools are already confirmed for 2010

This project is an inspiring programme designed to demonstrate to children the wide-ranging opportunities that fishing provides. It will do this while emphasizing the importance of sustainable fishing, safety and protecting our marine environment for future generations.

The Resource

The ‘Fish for our Future’ educational resource supports the “Hiwi the Kiwi Goes Fishing Show.” This resource, which is fully integrated, has been planned to align with the new curriculum. It provides opportunities for students to explore innovative e-learning activities, develop their problem solving skills, extend their creativity and carry out research using an inquiry based learning model. The resource covers:


    * Marine life
    * Environmental issues & sustainability
    * Tikianga linked to the sea
    * Recreational including water safety
    * Kai Moana – a source of food
    * Careers linked to the sea
    * Plus a CD containing ICT resources.

The resource is being developed and written by Marilyn Small, a Deputy Principal, who has a personal passion for all ‘things’ linked to the sea. Marilyn currently works at the Manaia View School which is in Whangarei.

The entire resource will also be available in Te Reo.

The Show

The ‘Hiwi the Kiwi Goes Fishing’ Show is totally professional, highly interactive and designed specifically to help satisfy curriculum requirements in Literacy.

Music, Dance and Drama … Loved by teachers and children alike it’s suitable for all age groups Year 1 to 8.

Over the past ten years The Minstrel (Mark de Lacy’s) ‘Hiwi the Kiwi’ and ‘Pukeko-eko’ shows have been performed at over 700 primary and intermediate schools throughout New Zealand. His shows are hilarious, educational and interactive. Schools continue to applaud his ability to inspire and amaze kids and teachers alike.

The all new ‘Hiwi the Kiwi Goes Fishing’ Show features new songs like “Hiwi the Kiwi Goes Fishing’ and ‘Paua for the People’ and story poems like “Hiwi Learns to Fly’. The songs teach kids about ‘Fishing for the Future’. The lyrics are interwoven into the educational resource and explore areas of vital importance to New Zealanders. How to catch fish for food, what to do with it when caught, how to ensure there will be fish to catch in the future, how to protect the coastline and waterways and all aspects of Kai Moana and Water Safety.

It is an ambitious and unique project with some considerable costs – $50,000 to get the show on the road and out to as many schools as possible over the next three years with the North Island Tour to begin at the end of June 2009. For a further $50,000 Channel North’s ‘Pukeko-eko’ TV Show which screens daily to Whangarei Schools has given us the opportunity to produce a 10 x 15 minute Television series where a Maori boy teaches the Minstrel how to fish using correct practice.

In support of the project NZ Fishing News have provided a page in their publication every month for the next 3 years. This page would obviously include the backers of the project and the page would be geared to kids – with a crossword, colouring in page, questions & answers etc, changing every month.

To support and provide a unique profile for the project we have secured a boat package that will travel with the Minstrel and be used to promote the total concept to the wider community.

Costs to deliver the total project over three years $300,000.

The opportunity for an overall sponsor or partner to be involved are significant. However even considering the current economic climate we would welcome additional  individual sponsorships .NZSF would work with sponsors to ensure that there are demonstrable and measurable returns for their participation in the programme.

The New Zealand Sports Fishing Council (NZSFC) considers this project an excellent opportunity to lead the way in encouraging the younger generation to appreciate and enjoy the world that fishing offers and learn to be safe and take care of the environment while doing so.

The project is endorsed and supported  supported by Te Runanga-A-Iwi-O-Ngapuhi, Te Runanga-O-Ngati Whatu and also 
Ngati Tara-a-Whai and also by the Guardians of the Sea Charitable Trust. Sponsors can expect their Company/Product to be promoted throughout New Zealand for three years at schools, fishing clubs, community events and commercial venues.

Supporters to date

Profile Boats Ltd, Yamaha NZ, Hutchwilco, Kilwell Sports,Electronic Navigation Ltd, DMW Trailers, Oxford Trust, Bradley Smokers, Black Magic Tackle, NZ Fishing News, NZ Marine Research Foundation

Why not join with the supporters to date and help the NZSFC invest in and encourage the children of today, the youth of tomorrow, the fishers of the future ?

Helping the children of today, the youth of tomorrow to Respect, Appreciate, Enjoy and Conserve New Zealand’s Marine Environment.