Ahi Pepe MothNet (styled ''Ahi Pepe , MothNet'') is a citizen science initiative based in
Otago
Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
that aims to raise the awareness of moths among teachers and students.
Name
Ahi Pepe (
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
for ''moth fire'') refers to a traditional proverb (whakataukī) of
Te Whiti o Rongomai
Te Whiti o Rongomai III (–18 November 1907) was a Māori spiritual leader and founder of the village of Parihaka, in New Zealand's Taranaki region.
Te Whiti established Parihaka community as a place of sanctuary and peace for Māori many of ...
about firelight attracting moths (pepe) instead of
muttonbirds (tītī).
Activities
Ahi Pepe began in 2015 as a project with four
Otago
Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...
schools, and continued with funding from Participatory Science Platform, Unlocking Curious Minds,
and the Biological Heritage
National Science Challenge
The National Science Challenges (NSC) are 11 ten-year collaborative science programmes in New Zealand, established in 2014. They are "cross-disciplinary, mission-led programmes designed to tackle New Zealand’s biggest science-based challenges ...
. Collaborators include
Otago Museum
Tūhura Otago Museum is located in the city centre of Dunedin, New Zealand. It is adjacent to the University of Otago campus in Dunedin North, 1,500 metres northeast of the city centre. It is one of the city's leading attractions and has one of t ...
,
Orokonui Ecosanctuary
thumb
Orokonui Ecosanctuary, called Te Korowai o Mihiwaka in Māori, is an ecological island wildlife reserve developed by the Otago Natural History Trust in the Orokonui Valley between Waitati and Pūrākaunui, New Zealand, to the north of cen ...
, the
University of Otago,
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu,
Landcare Research Landcare may refer to:
* Australian Landcare Council, a now superseded Australian government body
* Landcare in Australia, umbrella approach promoting land protection in Australia
* Landcare Research, New Zealand
*The Landcare movement in Australi ...
and schools across the
South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
.
In October 2016, Ahi Pepe worked with
Orokonui Ecosanctuary
thumb
Orokonui Ecosanctuary, called Te Korowai o Mihiwaka in Māori, is an ecological island wildlife reserve developed by the Otago Natural History Trust in the Orokonui Valley between Waitati and Pūrākaunui, New Zealand, to the north of cen ...
to install moth traps inside and outside the predator-proof fence, and school children worked alongside entomologists to identify the moths caught.
The project has produced educational resources for schools in both English and
Te Reo Māori. The South Island guide is the first educational resource to be written in the
Kāi Tahu dialect.
In 2017, public donations enabled a delegation of Otago schoolchildren to give a presentation on Ahi Pepe at the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
.
Publications
2015 –
Beginner’s Guide to the Otago Macro Moths'
2016 –
Puka Whakamārama o Te Pepe Nui - Beginners' Guide to the Macro Moths' (South Island): eight booklets each covering a bioregion either in Kāi Tahu or English.
2017 –
Puka Whakamārama o Te Pepe Nui - Beginners' Guide to the Macro Moths' (North Island): eight booklets each covering a bioregion either in standard Te Reo Māori or English.
All publications are produced in English and Te Reo Māori editions.
External links
Ahi Pepe , Mothnet websiteAhi Pepe Facebookpage
References
{{Reflist
Citizen science
Otago