Coral Kids

Feature Hybrid Documentary

About the Project

Coral Kids is a multidisciplinary collaboration with the community of Aitutaki, Cook Islands, documenting local coral restoration through the eyes of its youngest participants. Filmed alongside children, their educators, and a self-taught coral gardener, the project explores how early encounters with the ocean shape our sense of belonging, responsibility, and care.

Blending environmental and cultural narratives, it traces how knowledge is passed down through generations, from traditional legends and dances to ecological stewardship. By centring local voices and shared authorship, Coral Kids reimagines documentary practice as an act of reciprocity rather than observation, foregrounding joy, resilience, and collective agency in the face of environmental fragility.

The still photography series expands this collaboration through underwater portraits and participatory image-making with the children. View the photography project here

The Story

Aitutaki’s lagoon is one of the most biodiverse marine environments in the Pacific, yet its coral reefs are severely damaged. With no institutional support, local coral gardener Mike Lee began salvaging fragments from the lagoon floor, experimenting with various methods,  to keep fragile species alive.

Soon, schoolchildren led by their teachers at Grow Aitutaki joined him. Many had to learn to swim before they could begin. Together, they collect coral fragments, tie them to ropes, and tend the reef as part of their environmental education,  a process that revives ancestral connections to the sea while shaping a new generation of caretakers.

Support the Project

Coral Kids is an ongoing documentary photography and film initiative. Contributions directly fund the production of this documentary, ensuring that Aitutaki’s children’s voices reach wider audiences.

If you have visited Aitutaki and wondered how to give back, or if this story resonates with you, this is one way to support their work. Donations made via Documentary Australia are tax-deductible. Updates about the documentary project are posted on Substack.

Contact: hola@rosaaureliaproductions.com.au
Raquel Trejo, Adelaide-based photographer and environmental storyteller