3 June, 2026

Young snappers put a focus on creek catchment

Photo call… young photographers Oliver and Clio Inger (left), and Madeline Susanto (right).

A brother and sister from Milford Primary School are among those from local schools who shone in a photography competition putting a youth lens on the Wairau catchment.
The standout entries are on display at Lake House Arts on Fred Thomas Dr until 11 June, after an opening event last Sunday.
Clio (8) and Oliver (6) Ingle took their photos independently on walks exploring bush, beaches and streams, said their mother Su-Yin Ingle.
Their shots of the Wairau Creek in central Milford caught the judge Sonja Drake’s eye: They were named joint winners of the primary section.

Milford artist Drake, whose own multi-layered watercolours have focused on the creek’s ecology, said the standard of work in the Ngā Wairau – Through My Lens competition was impressive.
She said it was inspiring to see young people engage deeply through photography with the local environment as awareness grew of the importance of healthy urban waterways.
Madeline Susanto (17), a Year 13 student from Carmel College, said she was “extremely shocked” to win the senior category of the council-run competition, held during the Auckland Festival of Photography.
The Carmel photography club member entered with a photo she took while walking her brother to hockey training early one morning. “I noticed how beautiful the scene beside me looked. I wanted to capture the fog hovering over the grass and the path leading outwards. But especially the ‘golden glow’ of the sun behind the buildings.”

A cropped version of Madeline’s photo taken when walking her brother to hockey practice.

The People’s Choice winner was another early riser, Jack Butler, 11, who captured sunrise over the Wairau Valley. His image also won the Rosmini College Year 7 student second place in the intermediate section, which was won by Isabella Mitchell from Carmel College.
Both Madeline and Jack were shocked by the January 2023 floods in the catchment.
“I was astounded by the impact around Wairau Valley – the flooded culverts, Pak’nSave being closed, cars strewn over Porana Rd,” said Jack.
He learned about the competition through the Enviroclub at school and entered because photography was a hobby and he liked nature. Senior second-place-getter Terrence Venezuela, 15, a Year 11 at Westlake Boys High School, is in the Rangatahi Restore Together group which volunteers for ecological restoration work with Pupuke Birdsong Project.

Council’s Healthy Waters blue-green regeneration manager, Sara Zwart, said the Ngā Wairau flood resilience project would be making significant changes to the area over the next decade “and these photos are helping us to reimagine its future”.
Madeline said the competition had helped her see beauty in things around her. “The floods also showed me how important it is to care for our environment and work together as a community so we can create a safer, more sustainable future.”

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