![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2019\/05\/IMG_4588-e1557563284946-300x225.jpg?resize=327%2C245\")
<\/p>\nMay 2019 Christchurch, NZ<\/p>\n
Jacob Panozzo and Millie Reed<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Today we got down and dirty with the Mother of All Cleanups<\/strong>. This river restoration took the form of a litter removal- yeah, we picked up trash today. There were plenty of laughs at finding an unopened beer, some underwear, and even a sink. Thanks to oversight from local coordinators and the NZ Department of Conservation, we also learned a little while making our contribution to a cleaner environment.<\/p>\n Beginning with some local background, we were informed about the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake and the associated red-zoning of property after liquefaction of the earth. We made both ecological and health connections with the accounts of destroyed infrastructure pouring fresh water and sewage into the streams of liquefaction. Though these recollections were grim, there were small bits of inspiration within. The rallying effect on the community was something to be proud of, and we saw some of that residual cohesion today. The community brought forth many volunteers to clean the riverbanks today. After the cleanup, we gathered for sausage sizzlers and drinks with all the other volunteers that had spread across several kilometers of riverbank. \u201cTrees. Birds. Rivers. Sky<\/p>\n Running with my Uncle Hec.<\/p>\n Living Forever.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" May 2019 Christchurch, NZ Jacob Panozzo and Millie Reed Today we got down and dirty with the Mother of All Cleanups. This river restoration took the form of a litter removal- yeah, we picked up trash today. There were plenty of laughs at finding an unopened beer, some underwear, and[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newzealand"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa25mL-2t","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":149,"url":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/2019\/05\/10\/visiting-christchurch-a-shaken-community\/","url_meta":{"origin":153,"position":0},"title":"Visiting Christchurch: A Shaken Community","author":"kberchem","date":"May 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Friday, May 10th, 2019 - Christchurch, NZ Alison and Paige here! Today our group had the opportunity to listen to a presentation by Megan Gibbs, an emergency response manager who experienced the destruction caused by the North Canterbury and Kaikura earthquakes of 2016. The 2016 Kaikoura earthquake was a magnitude\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Zealand"","block_context":{"text":"New Zealand","link":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/category\/newzealand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2019\/05\/Christchurch-church-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":176,"url":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/2019\/05\/15\/176\/","url_meta":{"origin":153,"position":1},"title":"Last Day in Paradise.. All Endings are New Beginnings","author":"kberchem","date":"May 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Grant and Joy here. Today was our last day before traveling back to the States. It was pretty laid back since we spent the morning on the scenic route from Kaikoura back to Christchurch. We stopped at a cafe about halfway through the drive for a snack and to stretch\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Zealand"","block_context":{"text":"New Zealand","link":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/category\/newzealand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2019\/05\/unnamed-6-300x169.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":142,"url":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/2019\/05\/10\/crosswalks-culture-and-cities-oh-my\/","url_meta":{"origin":153,"position":2},"title":"Crosswalks, Culture, and Cities, Oh My!","author":"kberchem","date":"May 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Thursday, May 9th, 2019 - Auckland Erin and Kaitlyn On today\u2019s adventure, we got to explore the beauty of Auckland, a city on the West side of the North Island. We loved getting to walk around the city for a few hours; seeing the different buildings, cultures, and people. As\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Zealand"","block_context":{"text":"New Zealand","link":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/category\/newzealand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2019\/05\/bridge-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":86,"url":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/2019\/04\/29\/singing-our-hearts-out-with-stephanie\/","url_meta":{"origin":153,"position":3},"title":"Singing our Hearts Out with Stephanie","author":"kberchem","date":"April 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Preparation for Powhiri - a traditional Maori Welcome During our class this semester, we had the honor of working with Stephanie Sabatine (LSSU Native American Center) in learning the song we'll be singing for this experience. \u00a0She generously gave of her time, her talents, and sent us to NZ with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Zealand"","block_context":{"text":"New Zealand","link":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/category\/newzealand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2019\/04\/58737463_10218953096526952_4189667952171155456_n-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":158,"url":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/2019\/05\/13\/it-is-death-it-is-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":153,"position":4},"title":"It is Death! It is Life!","author":"kberchem","date":"May 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Wednesday, May 8th, 2019 - Rotorua, North Island, NZ Arianna Bishop and Samantha Beaulieu Ah Kia Mau! Today was quite the list of adventures! \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We began our day in the heart of Rotorua, at the Lakes District Health Board, a hospital that deals with both Pakeha and Maori patients. There\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Zealand"","block_context":{"text":"New Zealand","link":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/category\/newzealand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2019\/05\/IMG_4536-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":103,"url":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/2019\/05\/03\/from-dress-clothes-to-muddy-shoes\/","url_meta":{"origin":153,"position":5},"title":"From dress clothes to muddy shoes….","author":"kberchem","date":"May 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi guys! Joy and Leona here. Today was full of learning and muddy shoes. We started our day at a Maori clinic - Te Manu Toroa. They all graciously let us enter their environment and taught us about their healthcare system and practices. They welcomed us with a Powhiri. 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<\/p>\n
\nAll this was donated in the name of a cleaner community. ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2019\/05\/IMG_1278-e1557563269616-225x300.jpg?resize=225%2C300\")
Our group was even recognized for our participation, as people investing in a better world both near and far. Hopefully we can bring home a commitment to helping our own communities find a similar bond.<\/p>\n