ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

The Great Conservation Quest at Tōtara Reserve

May marked an exciting milestone as we partnered with the Department of Conservation, Central Energy Trust Wildbase Recovery, and the Palmerston North City Council Play Advisor to deliver our very first student hui at Tōtara Reserve Regional Park - The Great Conservation Quest.

It was a day designed to inspire conservation action and deepen students’ connection to the ngahere.

Students from Parkland School and Awahou School joined us, ready to explore what it means to be kaitiaki of the forest. From the moment they arrived, the ngahere became their classroom.

Students took part in six learning rotations throughout the morning. They learnt about pest animals and how these species affect our native birds and plants, explored the ngahere through a scavenger hunt, discovered what to do if they find an injured bird, practised native tree identification, explored the atua of the landscape and the ways Māori narratives are woven through the natural world. They also took part in the tradescantia roll challenge, which saw them clearing a patch of tradescantia from the forest floor with the highest pile winning the round.

In the afternoon students put their learning into action by each planting a native tree at the reserve that they can come back to in years to come, and one that will support and strengthen biodiversity here.

We look forward to planning future events at Tōtara Reserve and sharing this special space.

Westmere School takes a wai journey

Last term, students from Westmere School immersed themselves in a full learning journey centred on the health of their local waterways.

One of our educators visited the school to run sessions using our Enviroscapes model. Students learned what a catchment is, how water moves through a landscape, and how different types of land use can affect the quality of the water that eventually reaches our streams and rivers.

Together, they brainstormed ways to reduce human impact and explored how riparian planting helps stabilise banks, filter runoff, and support biodiversity.

They then borrowed one of our Waiora Stream Study kits to go and do some hands-on learning to check on the water quality of the stream. Students checked the water clarity, temperature, pH and flow. They used the kick net method to see what macroinvertebrates were living here in their stream. They then checked out a landslide to see the impact of erosion in action, and how planting native trees can provide stabilisation.

The final step in their learning journey was a visit to Hare Farm, located at the headwaters of the Okehu Stream. Here, students put their knowledge into practice by planting 750 native trees.

Students now understand how water moves through the environment, how human activity affects it, and, and most importantly, how they can make a positive difference.

ENVIROSCHOOLS

New Enviroschools and Additional Funding Available

A warm welcome to Kaitieke School and Manakau School who have joined the Enviroschools Programme last term. 💚

Interested in the Enviroschools programme?

Two of our funding partners, Horowhenua District Council and Manawatū District Council, have funding available to bring more schools/centres into this kaupapa. If you are keen to learn more, get in touch here.

Tino pai 💚

Enviroschools and MakerSpace working together

A unique collaboration between the Manawatū Community Hub Libraries (MCHL) Makerspace and Enviroschools is transforming waste into wonder one plywood offcut at a time.

The Makerspace, a hub for community innovation and sustainable practice, has found a new purpose for the scrap material generated by its laser-cutting projects. Instead of sending plywood offcuts straight to the landfill, staff collect them in a dedicated bin for reuse. These offcuts are now being used by school children across the region in creative classroom projects.

Powered by one of the Enviroschools facilitators, every few weeks the discarded shapes and offcuts are collected and delivered to schools and centres within the Enviroschools network, where students use them as stencils, design elements, and raw materials for art projects.

Massey Childcare Centre made Christmas decorations at the end of last year, where they used templates which were then filled with a wet shredded paper mix embedded with vege seeds.

Tamariki took their ornaments home for their own trees which can then be planted in the garden to grows some delicious kai.

Deepening Mātauranga Māori at Paraone Kindergarten

The kaupapa at Paraone Kindergarten this year was centred on deepening the knowledge of their tamariki, kaiako, and whānau in traditional Māori practices, with a particular focus on rongoā and pūrākau.

Through hands-on learning, storytelling, and community involvement, they have nurtured a living curriculum, one that grows from the soil beneath our feet and reaches into the whakapapa of place and people.

The project followed a full cycle of learning, beginning with the cultivation of their māra kai and rongoā garden. Tamariki planted, tended, and observed the growth of native plants and kūmara, learning the stories, atua, and tikanga connected to each. Local experts shared mātauranga, strengthening intergenerational knowledge and grounding our learning in authentic community practice.

Tamariki are confidently using te reo Māori and referencing atua and pūrākau in daily learning, sharing that with whanau, deepening the learning, stories and traditional practices. There is a sense of identity, and kaitiakitanga.

IDEAS & RESOURCES

Environmental Leaders Action Fund now open 

This new fund replaces the Pat Kelly Enviroschools Action Fund. It supports any schools or early childhood education (ECE) centres within the region towards action projects that links to our strategic priorities and community outcomes below:

• e whakamana hapori, he hapori kori - Our region’s communities are vibrant and empowered
• He whanaungatanga whai mana - Our region’s relationship with iwi and hapū are respectful and mana-enhancing
• He pūnaha hauropi ora - Our region’s ecosystems are healthy
• He whatunga waka mauritau - Our region has effective transport networks
• He rohe piki te ōhanga, piki te taiao - Our region’s economy is thriving and environmentally sustainable
• He hapori manawaroa - Our region’s communities are resilient to the impact of natural hazards and climate change

For more information and to apply head here - Applications open till Sunday 16 August 2026.