Understanding Nature

Understanding Nature is a long-term documentary and environmental education initiative created by the Ruamāhanga Restoration Trust in conjuction with Schools Behind Our River.

Launched in 2023, the project intends to follow a group of young New Zealanders over ten years, returning to them as they grow through school and into adulthood. Through unscripted interviews, students talk openly about what nature means to them, what they understand about climate change, what they see happening locally and around the world, and how they believe environmental change may — or may not — affect their lives and future choices, particularly with reference to our local communities.

There are no prescribed answers. Some students are deeply concerned about the environment and climate change; others are less certain. Their levels of knowledge and their sources of information also vary. That is an important part of the project. Understanding Nature is designed to preserve an authentic record of what young people actually think at different stages of their lives and to see how those views change through education, experience, media, technology and the world around them.

Students have already spoken about practical action, including planting trees, reducing waste and fossil-fuel use, renewable technology, sustainable farming and the role social media can play in informing and mobilising their generation.

Short edited interviews are released as the project develops. Over time, this accumulated footage will be further edited to create a unique record of a generation growing up during a period of significant environmental change, with the selected material ultimately forming a feature-length documentary.

At its heart, Understanding Nature is about listening to our young people — not telling them what to think — and returning to their voices over time to discover what changes, what remains important, and how their relationship with the natural world develops.