Exploring Biodiversity through Statistics Investigations

Written by Annelies Judson, a trained teacher with a passion for maths and science. She also writes children's poetry and picture books. Article published July 2025

This Spotlight is part of a series highlighting environmental contexts for mathematics and statistics learning in Aotearoa primary and intermediate schools. Check our website regularly for further articles focused on different topics, strands and age groups.

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Exploring Biodiversity through Statistics Investigations

Biodiversity is an accessible topic for all ages and stages, and is ideal for a whole-school focus. It lends itself especially well to the statistics strand within the maths curriculum, with students able to collect and analyse real-life data in their local area, and then take action.

“Rich tasks provide a motivational hook when exploring new concepts and procedures. These experiences often allow students to decide how to approach the task, developing their agency, confidence, and motivation.” - NZ maths and statistics curriculum

We have focused this Spotlight on biodiversity in green spaces like school grounds, parks, gardens and local reserves, to make the activities accessible. In future collections we will look at maths learning within freshwater and coastal contexts.

Although we have focused on statistics for this collection, there are many other aspects of mathematical thinking and knowledge that can be integrated into this topic. In particular, helping with plans for costs involved in a biodiversity project provides an excellent connection for number and algebra at all levels.

This Spotlight includes:

Setting the Scene: Our Local Place
Statistical Investigations
Example investigation using Moth Plants
Possible Focus Areas and Outcomes, with resources and case studies
Citizen Science projects

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‍Setting the Scene: Our Local Place

Spend some time engaging with your local area and reflecting on what students already know or want to learn about. You could centre this inquiry around strengthening kaitiakitanga for your local rohe. This may simply be the school grounds, or extended to include a local park, reserve or natural area. You could pose questions such as:

What wildlife do we see in our rohe? What wildlife do we want to see?
Which are the taonga species for mana whenua? Are they represented in pūrākau?
In what ways are animals and insects beneficial to our school/rohe?
What attracts wildlife to an area? What stops wildlife from living in an area?
What is biodiversity? Why is it good?
How do we decide if something is a weed?
Which plants and animals are native to Aotearoa New Zealand? Which are not?

Stats NZ | Tatauranga Aotearoa has a lot of data about biodiversity, and many other organisations have data for specific aspects of biodiversity. These are linked in the section below, called “Possible Focus Areas and Outcomes’.

Watch Ranger Kōrero - Exploring Biodiversity video from the Department of Education for a fun introduction to this inquiry, including examples from Aotearoa schools.

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Spend time unpacking the concepts of observation and monitoring, including the specific processes used within statistics, science and te ao Māori. Read the Science Learning Hub article Environmental monitoring - ao Māori perspectives for some ideas to start discussions within your class and school.

It is also great to introduce students to iNaturalist, as this helps them learn how to identify different species with feedback from experts, and can then be used during statistical data collection. The Science Learning Hub has compiled some helpful advice for teachers about using iNaturalist.

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Statistical Investigations

With support, students can create and undertake a statistical inquiry to inform a whole-school project to improve biodiversity. Possible topic areas and resources can be found in the next section.

The teaching sequence and outcomes for Statistics in Phases 1-3 are linked here:
Phase 1 (Yrs 0 - 3) Phase 2 (Yrs 4 - 6) Phase 3 (Yrs 7 - 8)

The draft curriculum for Mathematics and Statistics in Phases 4-5 is also available.

At all phases, the same statistical inquiry process (PPDAC) forms the structure of statistics learning. The ideas below can be adapted to the different phases and we have also added the important step of taking action in the conclusion phase.

1. Problem
As a school, a focus area is chosen (see next section for ideas). Make sure it is relevant and engaging for your class or school. Classes or groups then need to choose which animal(s) and/or plant(s) they would like to survey.

2. Plan
Students plan where they will do their survey e.g. within the school, in the local area, in a reserve, and agree on a method for their data collection. They will also need to gain knowledge about species identification so that their data is accurate.

3. Data
Students survey the school or local area for their chosen animal(s) and/or plant(s) using the methods they agreed on.

4. Analysis
Using their data, students create graphs and data visualisations, including distribution maps, and draw conclusions about the distribution of their chosen species, and the consequences of this for the rohe.

Cross-curricular links: As part of their broader learning for science and technology, at this stage of the investigation students could research and test ways to encourage native or beneficial animals/plants, or to discourage invasive or unwanted animals/plants.

5. Conclusion
Data and analysis, along with proposed actions to improve biodiversity, are presented to the relevant groups e.g. other students, the Board of Trustees, mana whenua, the local community and biodiversity groups.

Taking Action
As a school community, a decision will be made about what action(s) to take. Taking action is not officially part of the statistical process, but is of course a key part of the rich task!

Statistical Literacy
Throughout the process, students will be asked to compare and discuss the investigations of different groups within the school or classroom. They can also compare their data and conclusions with regional or national datasets collected by other schools and scientists.

Continue the Cycle: Ongoing Monitoring
Data is collected at one or more later points to see the impact of the changes they have made. This encourages long-term action and monitoring, with datasets that will grow each term or year as new students contribute.

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Example Investigation: Moth Plant Control

1. Problem
The school notices moth plants growing in their grounds and in the local community. The students learn about impacts of invasive plants on Aotearoa’s ecosystems. The students decide they would like to work out how big the problem is, and what they can do about it.

2. Plan
Students are taught what a moth plant looks like. As a school, they create a plan to survey the current moth plant distribution in their rohe. Each class or group is then given an area to survey.

3. Data
Students survey their chosen area and record details of the moth plants they find e.g. how many pods, how high (links to estimation/measurement), how many plants in the area, which other plants they are growing on/around.

4. Analysis
Using the data from the relevant groups:

Students create a distribution map of the moth plants they have found. They use different coloured dots to indicate the different sizes of plant, or the different numbers of visible pods.
Students create graphs which show the characteristics of the moth plants in the entire surveyed area e.g. how many pods, how high, type of growing location (garden, native bush, public reserve).

For extension, students could extrapolate their data to make estimations about the likely number of moth plants in a larger area, or in an un-surveyed area (linking to algebra).

5. Conclusions
Students present their findings to the whole school, and create a plan to minimise the spread of moth plants in the rohe. They contact councils, mana whenua, homeowners, and moth plant control group STAMP to discuss the options.

Taking Action
Students investigate how to remove moth plants safely and effectively, and how to dispose of them correctly. They discuss possibilities for removing moth plants on private properties or council land and then take action in collaboration with others.

Statistical Literacy
At all stages of the process, students discuss their findings and conclusions with other students, and are given opportunities to question others’ data and analyses.

Continue the Cycle: Ongoing Monitoring
Students repeat their survey of the area later to find which plants have been removed, and whether new moth plants are growing. They can then present this data in comparative graphs/maps. This can lead to a new investigation depending on the findings.

Read some inspiring stories of moth plant control in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland on the Enviroschools website here.

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Possible Focus Areas and Outcomes

There are lots of organisations with education resources for conducting investigations and undertaking biodiversity projects. You can find local environmental educators by searching our Providers catalogue and also reach out to local volunteer groups, mana whenua and councils. Many have online resources, education specialists, and volunteers who will talk with classes or help with projects. Some may provide the field materials at low or no cost.

All of the contexts below provide opportunities to link your statistics investigations to other learning areas, through the use of curiosity, creativity and communicating ideas. Place-based approaches that utilise local pūrākau and mātauranga Māori will also strengthen engagement and meaning for your students.

Birds & Insects

Project outcomes for this inquiry focus could include creating a butterfly or moth garden, allocating a ‘wild’ area within the school grounds, planting native trees, building feeding stations and creating homes for birds and insects.

Resources

Experiencing invertebrates in your green space inquiry unit from the Department of Conservation includes a printable tally sheet for an insect survey.
City of Bugs article from the Connected series 2020 (Level 2) includes statistics, literacy and science using a case study from three schools in Dunedin.
Explore resources about bugs from Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research including resources about pollinators, which could lead to projects involving flower gardens, beehives, and agriculture/horticulture.
The Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust has an amazing range of educational resources and suggestions that could easily lead into a school-wide project to tag and monitor monarch butterflies and create a butterfly garden.
Garden Bird Survey data is available for the last five years, including distribution maps and a range of graphs for different species and regions. The Science Learning Hub has excellent information for teachers about exploring data for bird surveys and the DOC resource Experiencing birds in your green space includes helpful advice for analysing and representing bird survey data.
Bug and Plant Hunt activity from Kids Greening Taupō encourages students to notice the connections between insects and plants, with the opportunity to compare data.

Case Studies

Biodiversity metamorphosises learning article from the Education Gazette discusses the creation and benefits of butterfly gardens.

Dedicated to diverse schoolground ecosystem story from Enviroschools Waikato with examples of habitat creation such as bug hotels and native bush.

Protecting our Taonga: the importance of Kiwi Monitoring story from Te Ara Taiao in Taranaki.

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Predators & Pests

Project outcomes could include tracking and monitoring pests and reporting to the school, community and council. Predators could also be controlled through trapping and other appropriate methods for your students and area.

Resources

Predator Free New Zealand offers a Schools Toolkit and have pulled together a collection of education resources about investigating issues and taking action, many of which involve data collection and analysis.
Explore Stats NZ data on Land Pests, including deer, goats, rabbits and possums on conservation land.
Tāhūrangi has a predator tracking resource, which could lead to a real-world investigation. Predator Free NZ also has tracking cards and tunnels.
Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne has created statistics resources aimed at Yrs 4 - 8, as part of the unit Can we make NZ Pest Free? Scroll down to view the resources or visit the Science Learning Hub article here to access the resource and related links.
Article for older students: “Our Land” statistics paint a stark picture

Case Studies

Lynmore School raises awareness of trapping, story from Predator Free NZ about Rotorua students helping native birds in their local Waitawa Bush. This included tracking, trapping and monitoring their success.

Predator Free Kids sessions with Kids Greening Taupō help empower student leaders to explore their passion for conservation.

Kaitiakitanga – Tamariki explore pest control with respect at Ruawai Kindergarten from Enviroschools. This story provides a good example of how this context can be applied for younger children.

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Native & Invasive Plants

Project outcomes could include native planting in a local reserve or your school grounds, removing weeds/exotic plants, or building a protective area around trees like kauri to stop root damage.

Resources

Experiencing native trees in your green space is a comprehensive resource from the Department of Conservation, including ideas about data collection.
Explore Stats NZ data on Indigenous Land Cover and other key indicators.
Weedbusters has lots of information about weeds and links to various organisations that conduct weed control programmes, which schools can reach out to.
Manaaki Whenua has a page of resources about The Great Weed Hunt.
Trees That Count is an organisation that supports regeneration efforts, and has resources for schools, as well as providing help with native tree planting.
Trees for Survival also provides support for schools in the regions they work within, with teacher resources available on their website.

Case Studies

Maeroa Intermediate takes maths outdoors for a real-world challenge, Enviroschools story about growing and caring for native plants to help restore a local gully, including learning about weeds (see story below). This story includes a focus on measurement and geometry.

Brentwood Gully Biological Control project with Kids Greening Taupō and Enviroschools. This awesome project shows the potential for collaboration across schools, with lots of links to statistics skills, such as observing, sampling and monitoring changes in plants and insects over time.

Exploring Kōwhai mātauranga in the classroom, article from Science Learning Hub about an inquiry with Yr 5-6 students at Silverdale Normal School. This included skills such as observation and graphing, with a strong focus on science, English (poetry) and mātauranga Maōri, through a place-based approach.

Does your school have enough trees? Research summary published on The Conversation, based on a survey of the quantity and quality of green spaces in 64 urban primary schools in Auckland. The article also explains the many benefits of having diverse plants in schools.

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Citizen Science Projects

There are many examples of real-world surveys from Aotearoa that focus on data collection related to biodiversity, which can be used across most age levels. These also have a strong link with both the sciences and social sciences, with a focus on participation, citizenship and collaborative action.

The New Zealand Garden Bird Survey is a citizen science project that takes place annually in June/July, and involves spending one hour counting all the birds that you hear and see. The website has great sound clips to help identify birds by their calls and printable resources such as the poster below. Although the formal survey is only for one week a year, the method and information could be used to collect data about your school and start your own long-term monitoring dataset.

The Great Kiwi Earthworm Survey runs from June to September and requires digging holes to find worms - what fun! Worms can also be used as a context for measurement, either in the real world or using the in-class resource from Tāhūrangi called Worms and More.

Myrtle Rust Reporter is a great one if your school or rohe has a lot of myrtle rust - a fungal disease that infects plants in the myrtle family, including pōhututawa, rata, mānuka and introduced plants such as feijoa.

Find-A-Pest app allows you to report pest species sightings and get feedback about your sighting once it has been viewed by experts.

The Big Butterfly Count happens over a week in February, which means schools have to be very prepared to get straight onto it at the start of the year! However it could be a great start for a year-long project to support butterfly biodiversity in the school.

Other surveys that have a more narrow range or focus include the FrogID and the Kea Database.

Although outside the scope of this Spotlight, some other fantastic projects are the Marine Metre Squared surveys and Litter Intelligence from Sustainable Coastlines.

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Books and Journals

These hard copy resources help support a cross-curricular approach to your statistics and biodiversity learning, with links to mātauranga Māori, literacy, science, technology, social science and the arts. Your school should have class sets of the School Journals and Connected series and they are also available on Tāhūrangi, with teaching notes.

Nature Heroes book by Gillian Candler includes inspiring stories of people past and present involved with Aotearoa conservation, with practical activities such as bird counts, building a wētā motel, and weedbusting.

Takahē Maths by Julie Ellis, illustrated by Isobel Te Aho-White, tells the story of takahē conservation through maths equations, tracking their populations over time. Teacher notes are available with ideas for maths and other learning areas.

The Observologist: A handbook for mounting very small scientific investigations, by Giselle Clarkson, is a fun and quirky approach to learning about insects.

Silvia and the Birds written by Johanna Emeney and illustrated by Sarah Laing, this engaging book includes concepts such as kaitiakitanga, conservation and advocacy.

Kaitiakitanga, by Susan Harris and Daniel Hikuroa, School Journal Nov 2022 (Level 4)

Te Tapa Ingoa, by Priscilla Wehi and Hēmi Whaanga, Connected Series 2020 (Level 3)

Tāne Mahuta, creative writing by Year 7 student Ellie Job, School Journal Nov 2022 (Level 4)

Bringing Back the Birdsong, by Shanthie Walker, Connected Series 2017 (Level 2)

Trees and Us, Junior Journal 2022 (Level 2)

City of Bugs, by Dr Cynthia Winkworth, Connected Series 2020 (Level 2)

Cloak of Protection card game, by Kākāriki Games. Fun & educational, this Aotearoa game includes our native bird species past and present, predators and links to mātauranga Māori through the Atua realms.

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Acknowledgments

Huge thanks to Annelies Judson, Enviroschools, Maeroa Intermediate School, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research and Technology Education NZ for contributing images and graphics used in this article.

Author Bio:
Annelies Judson is a trained teacher with a passion for maths and science. She also writes children's poetry and picture books. You can find out more about her at anneliesjudson.wordpress.com, or contact her at annelies.judson.writer@gmail.com.

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