• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Donate
Track Zero
  • About
    • What we do
    • About Track Zero
    • How we work
    • Who we are
    • Annual report
  • Projects & events
    • Through the Eye of the Lens
    • Arts + Climate innovation: Coexistence with our natural world
    • What if Climate Change was Purple?
      • Tupua Tigafua with David Long
      • Dr Vicki Kerr with other scientists & artists
      • Louise Pōtiki-Bryant with Dr Daniel Hikuroa, Dr Mike Joy & other artists
      • Gabby O’Connor & Dr Renee Liang
      • Michaela Keeble & Taraheke | BushLawyer
      • Chris Adams with Michaela Keeble & Dr Jenny Rock
      • Tola Newbery with other artists & scientists
    • Past projects & events
      • Arts + Climate Innovation: Livestream kōrero
      • Arts + Climate Innovation Roadshow Project
      • Poster presentation at global earth sciences conference
      • Education + Engagement
      • Arts + Climate Innovation: Dry Waters
      • 5 in 5 On Climate Change
  • Get involved
    • Arts + Science resources
    • Development resources
    • Reducing the impact of plastic – Collective Submission
  • Contact
  • Through the Eye of the Lens
    • Wānaka
    • Whakatū
    • Taranaki
    • Tāmaki Makaurau
    • Te Tairāwhiti
    • Te Whanganui a Tara
  • Menu Menu
Through the Eye of the Lens - boy on the ground with camera

Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

Our place. climate. world.

Through the Eye of the Lens – Wānaka

Sixteen young Wānaka students from Mt Aspiring College explored climate change through the lens of a camera. They workshopped climate issues with leading climate scientist Dr Tim Naish then spent a week with award winning photographers: Auckland-based Raymond Sagapolutele and Wanaka-local Camilla Rutherford.

THROUGH THE EYE OF THE LENS – WĀNAKA

12-18 April 2021

IN COLLABORATION WITH:

Logo festival of colour

Exhibition

Be inspired by the photographs taken and curated by the young artists and photographers, expressing their views about climate change.

View the exhibition
Wānaka student in front of group in workshop

View festival programme (p.29)

MAJOR SUPPORTER:

Creative NZ logo

SUPPORTER:

Logo MFE

Testimonials

‘The children were so involved and eager to learn. They started to look at the world with new eyes and notice new aspects of the environment around them. Their ideas and the statements they wrote about their photos were clear and powerful.  They were proud to share their work alongside professional artists – to share with thousands of Festival-goers and with the wider community. An experience that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.’

Philip TremewanDirector Festival of Colour 2021

‘I really enjoyed my time at the Track Zero workshops getting to meet other people and taking photos in general. I learned about perspectives, angles, and how to use my camera to my advantage. Using my camera I’ll be sure to take a good photo when I see the opportunity to take one. It was a blast getting to take part – thank you for the opportunity.’

HinatoAge 12

‘This project proved learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom.  The College saw the value in what the children were doing and the project had the backing of their families and local community, not just the children. They listened and were eager to have their work shown to the professional photographers and to the public through the outdoor and online exhibitions and later in the local restaurant/cafe.  They learned to slow down and really notice their environment.  The statements they wrote to go with their photo were so powerful and different from one another, showing how deeply they’d thought about the issue of our changing climate.’

Jo Hewson-WilliamsSchools Coordinator for the Festival of Colour and Students in the Community Coordinator for Mt Aspiring College

‘We can’t believe how lucky we are to have this opportunity for our kids.  Our son really, really enjoyed it.  He was buzzing each day and loved the group and teachers. Thank you SO much to all involved.’

Parent of Mt Aspiring College student

‘ All students, including my son, were very excited with new cameras. They have taken photos with phones or family cameras before to keep their memory of a moment.  But this time they had a great chance to learn more knowledge and technique.  I hope those children will keep taking interesting photos with the freedom of young children’s ideas and also keep thinking about climate change. It’s happening around us.  One action can be really tiny, but if those young students get together they may change something for the better. Thank you so much for giving an awesome experience to my son and all of the children!.’

Parent of Mt Aspiring College student

Exploring climate science

The young artists and their families took part in an interactive workshop called, ‘Ice, Balloons and Zero Carbon: Climate Science Talk’ led by expert Earth Systems and Climate Scientist, Dr Tim Naish.

Afterwards they met artists Raymond Sagapolutele and Camilla Rutherford and learned about photography and were encouraged to think about how the changing climate is affecting the world they live in.

  • Dr Tim Naish, expert Climate Scientist, demonstrates expected sea level rise triggered by climate change with Wānaka students. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

  • Wānaka students and families workshopped climate issues with an expert scientist. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

  • Climate science experiments with Wānaka students and Sarah Meads, Track Zero Founder. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

  • Climate science experiments with Wānaka students and Dr Tim Naish, expert Climate Scientist. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

  • Wānaka students and families workshopped climate issues before spending a week with top photographers. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

  • Dr Tim Naish, expert Climate Scientist, demonstrates ocean heating triggered by climate change. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

  • Wānaka students and families workshopped climate issues and storytelling through a camera with Raymond Sagapolutele, professional Photographer. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

  • Wānaka students and families taking part in the ‘Ice, Balloons and Zero Carbon: Climate Science Talk’. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

PreviousNext
12345678

Climate Science Facts

Stop fossil fuels = Stop adding greenhouse gas

As soon as we stop burning fossil fuels and stop adding greenhouse gas to the air, we stop global warming.

https://https://

Stop warming now

The sooner we stop the warming, the less damage there will be, to us and to all ecosystems.

https://https://

Atmosphere

The atmosphere has more greenhouse gas in it today than it has had for 3 million years.

https://https://

Half of CO2

Half of all the carbon dioxide humanity has added to the air has been put there since 1990.

https://https://

2°C warming

At 2°C warming, the Great Barrier Reef and all tropical coral reefs worldwide, will be dead. At 1.5°C warming, we may save 20% of the tropical corals.

https://https://

More than 2°C warming

More than 2°C warming will lock in 5-10 metres of sea level rise over coming centuries

https://https://

Every bit counts

Every 1/10th of a degree of warming adds to the number of extreme heatwaves, floods and droughts. We can make a difference by reducing greenhouse gas – every bit counts.

https://https://

Central Otago warming faster average

Central Otago is warming faster than the national average  – leading to increasing drought and fire danger

https://https://

Photographic Workshop

Good storytelling can change minds. The power of a photograph lies not in the way that it represents reality, but in the way it engages our imagination and involves us in the story that unfolds in the image. Award winning photographers, Auckland-based Raymond Sagapolutele and Wanaka-local Camilla Rutherford, shared their creative expertise and taught the young Wānaka students how to use their cameras to become their own storytellers.

Read about the workshop in the Mt Aspiring College magazine.

The Watcher

Background image used above – USGS – Earth as Art series 6. ‘The Watcher’

Read the article about the workshop on Scoop.co.nz

Raymond Sagapolutele

Raymond Sagapolutele

Award winning Aotearoa-born Sāmoan artist, Raymond Sagapolutele says the camera has become a vital part of his ability to reconnect with cultural ties to Pacific history, the land and ocean. Speaking through images gives his visual language a voice – the method that forms his oratory and connects to the Samoan tradition of Fagogo (storytelling).

Camilla Rutherford

Camilla Rutherford

Scottish-born photographer Camilla Rutherford has traveled the world shooting adventure sports, lifestyle and commercial photography, gaining a reputation as a world-class snow photographer. Camilla is incredibly passionate about New Zealand’s unique and diverse landscapes.

Through the Eye of the Lens Wanaka logo
  • Group of young students taking part in ‘Through the Eye of the Lens – Wānaka’. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

  • Wānaka students workshopped storytelling using a camera with expert photographers, Camilla Rutherford (pictured) and Raymond Sagapolutele. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

    Wānaka student in front of group in workshop
  • Wānaka students learning to use a camera with expert photographers. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

  • Wānaka students workshopped camera skills in different light with expert photographers. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

  • Wānaka students workshopped telling stories using a camera with expert photographers, Camilla Rutherford (pictured) and Raymond Sagapolutele. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

  • Wānaka students shared their learning during the photographic workshop. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

  • Wānaka students practiced camera skills in their local environment with expert photographers, Camilla Rutherford (pictured) and Raymond Sagapolutele. Image credit: Raymond Sagapolutele

PreviousNext
1234567

Outdoor Exhibition

Photos taken and selected by the young students and photographers were displayed in an outdoor
photographic exhibition launched at the official Opening Ceremony of Festival of Colour 2021.
Mounted on plinths around the Festival hub and in close proximity to Wānaka lake front, the
exhibition ran throughout the Festival from 12-18 April visited by over 12,000 festival-goers and the
general public.

The students photos were exhibited inside a popular eatery in Wānaka after the Festival finished
where they continued to create a community buzz.

Celebrating launch of Through the Eye of Wānaka Through the Eye of Wānaka outdoor exhibition part of Festival of Colour 2021 Raymond Sagapolutele standing beside Through the Eye of Wānaka outdoor exhibition Through the Eye of Wānaka outdoor exhibition part of Festival of Colour 2021 Snow in Wanaka Through the Eye of the lens in Wānaka Exhibition of children's photos in Urban Grind Bar and Eatery, Wānaka

Latest annual report

Performance report 2022

Previous reports

 

Follow us on Facebook

trackzeronz

UN just released a "survival guide for humanity", UN just released a "survival guide for humanity", which said the world is rapidly approaching catastrophic levels of heating with international climate goals set to slip out of reach unless immediate and radical action is taken. 
The synthesis report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the culmination of almost six years of work by thousands of scientists representing the most comprehensive summary of human knowledge on our climate. The report is agreed on by all governments involved. 
It also crucially declares we will "likely" fail to reach the 1.5-degree target aimed at preventing the most catastrophic consequences of climate change. The world has already warmed by 1.1C and now experts say that it is likely to breach 1.5C in the 2030s. Current policies have us on course for 2.7C, as per @climateactiontr
New IPCC Synthesis Report here: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/
In response to the findings, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres says that all countries should bring forward their net zero plans by a decade. These targets are supposed to rapidly cut the greenhouse gas emissions that warm our planet's atmosphere.
Read more: 'UN Climate Report: Scientists release survival guide to avert climate disaster’ RNZ World: https://bit.ly/3JtmLZ3
One of the Report's figures relates to the fairness across generations. The generation of kids born in 2010s will face substantially more heatwaves, heavy rainfall  and droughts during an average lifetime than their grandparents.
It's time to act and give #climateactionnow everything we've got!
Images - some figures from IPCC 'AR6 Synthesis Report. Climate Change 2023' and report cover page
Follow on Instagram

Contact details

General inquiries email:
info@trackzero.nz

To contact the Founder & Trustee Manager Sarah Meads:

sarah.meads@trackzero.nz
+64 21 113 8858

Copyright and Trade Mark Notice

The Track Zero website includes images and materials from a variety of sources. We endeavour to credit the copyright holders of reproduced work/and or provide links to the relevant source. If you wish to utilise any of the content from this website, other than linking directly to the Track Zero website, please contact us directly.

Track Zero is an independent charity that aims to deliver creative platforms working with the arts, science and other sectors, to inspire transformative climate change action.
TRACK ZERO™ is a Trade Mark of the Track Zero Trust.
© Track Zero 2023 - All rights reserved. Website by Zon Consultancy
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Scroll to top