Serita Drewery

Serita (Ngāti Kurī, Kai Tahu) participated in the BLAKE Inspire for Teachers programme in 2020. Throughout this week she was struck by the vast learning opportunities that were available to students right on their doorsteps. Living and working outside an urban centre, she recognised the vital role the rural community plays in valuing the environment and how her students can be a major driver in helping to regenerate our land and waterways. She also holds firm that every child who grows up in Aotearoa should be given the opportunity to learn te reo, tikanga and mātauranga Māori through te taiao – they cannot receive this knowledge anywhere else in the world! Serita hopes to inspire her family, students and colleagues to embrace the infinite learning opportunities around us, challenge our current practices and rethink the way we use and see our amazing natural world.