ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Stream restoration with Ruapehu College

Students from different year groups at Ruapehu College have been monitoring the water health of four sites on the Makaranui Stream in Ohakune for the past couple of years. Over the winter, year 10 students had the opportunity to do some riparian planting at one of the sites after the landowner received funding from Horizons to fence off, and plant up part of this waterway with native plants. Newly planted trees need nurturing for the first couple of years as spring grass growth can smother them. In Term 4, some of the students went back to check how the trees are doing and clear grass from around them to give them the best chance of surviving. The landowner also provided sheep dags (the dung-caked wool around the hindquarters of a sheep) for the students to put around the base of the trees which will act as a weed suppressant.

ENVIROSCHOOLS

End of year reflections

A number of our Enviroschools held their holistic reflections to round off the academic year. Congratulations to Palmerston North Girls’ High School (PNGHS) and Roslyn School who reflected to Silver, and Bulls School and Whanganui Girls’ College who reflected to Bronze. It was exciting to have our first high schools to hold reflections with PNGHS opting to hold their sharing and decision making day online which was also a first for us. The reflection at Whanganui Girl’s College was focussed on how they were integrating sustainability into their curriculum, particularly in non-traditional subject such as textiles, art and technology. Read about how they have been doing this here

Pat Kelly Enviroschools Action Fund recipients announced for 2022

At the end of last year, we awarded 23 grants to Enviroschools for environmental and sustainability projects for 2022. The Pat Kelly Enviroschools Action Fund supports sustainability projects from Enviroschools in the Manawatū – Whanganui Region. With an increase in Enviroschools we have increased the amount of funding available from $13,000 to $20,000 this year to reflect this growth. Sometimes just a small amount of money is all it takes to kick a project off. Popular projects tend to be linked with food sustainability, that typically includes the community, creation of vegetable gardens, purchasing of tunnel houses, planting of fruit trees and water tanks featuring high on the list of desired projects.

The 2022 funding has been awarded to:

• Shannon School – Kai for Ka Ora, Ka Ako - growing vegetables for use in Healthy School Lunches programme
•  Opiki School – creation of vegetable gardens for used within cooking classes
• Kimbolton Early Learning Centre– planting of fruit trees
• Hiwinui School– towards the purchase of a greenhouse to grow vegetables for use within the school and community
• Apiti School– purchase of pest traps to enhance biodiversity
• Tangimoana School– development of a school and community garden
• Hokowhitu Kindergarten – purchase of equipment to help tamariki explore natural ecosystems
• Hokowhitu School - development of a wellbeing garden
• West End Kindergarten– purchase and installation of rainwater tanks
• Roslyn Kindergarten – development of a sensory garden
• Palmerston North Girls High School– towards embedding sustainability into the Year 9 curriculum
• Bulls School – purchase of rainwater tanks
• Mangaweka School– the purchase of a poly tunnel for creation of māra kai
• Pukeokahu School – purchase a chicken coop
• Marton School - towards the creation of a community orchard
• Follett Street Kindergarten – purchase of compost bins
• Tokirima School – towards setting up a school plant nursery
• First Years Learning Centre – purchase of compost bins
• Brunswick School – creation of a fruit and vegetable sharing stand
• Love and Learn Care & Education – purchase of a shade shelter at their centre farm for use in all weather
• Whanganui Girls College – purchase of a tunnel house to expand their existing vegetable gardens
• Whanganui Intermediate School – development of a therapeutic and education garden
• Westmere School – purchasing a storage shed for materials for their ongoing nature walk development.

In 2020-2021, the Pat Kelly Enviroschools Action Fund supported a range of projects including an outdoor music area for Manchester Street School, a community deck and memorial garden for Love and Learn Early Childcare Centre, and establishing a harakeke pa at Parkland Kindergarten for families and tamariki to harvest and weave.     

IDEAS AND RESOURCES

Education at Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre

If you are looking for some ETOC, here is a message from our friends at Pūkaha. Here’s a reminder about the different education opportunities we have for you and your students at Pūkaha.  

• Education Tour: These guided tours take place over two hours and are suited best to classroom-sized groups of 30 students. Tours cover the history of Pūkaha, conservation in Aotearoa, the unique characteristics and evolutionary history of our endemic species and a walk around our captive breeding aviaries in the forest.  
• Te Hīkoi o Pūkaha: Take a walk through the ngahere with Whaea Evelyne to learn about Pūkaha and the mana whenua of the area, Rangitāne. These two-hour sessions are best suited for classroom-sized groups, and cover the history of Pūkaha and surrounding area, ancient stories and Mātauranga knowledge.  
• Te Hīkoi o Pūkaha is also a great option for teachers wanting to familiarise themselves with local history, and you can book your own tour of the forest at any time. If you want to make a booking for your class, then enquire through our website or contact our Visitor Centre team at info@pukaha.org.nz. 

What’s new for 2022? Keep an eye out for new supporting resources for teachers that book an education tour at Pūkaha. These resources, currently in development, will be cater for different ages, and they are packed with activities for you to try. They will also be releasing an entirely new education programme later in the year! If you have any questions, you want an educator to speak at a staff meeting or a school assembly, or want to know more about education options at Pūkaha, you can contact their Educator Kelly at kelly@pukaha.org.nz.  

Sustainability Calendar 2022

Use the Education for Sustainability calendar to help plan your curriculum activities for the year.

LEARNZ is a programme of free virtual field trips, helping students access the inaccessible. If you have not heard of LEARNZ, or if have already used some of their amazing virtual trips before, they now have four new online field trips for Term 1 2022. Check them out here

202D Lions Video Environmental Challenge 2021/22

A reminder that the local Lions has organised a video competition with the theme of Freshwater. The aim of this contest is to challenge Year 5 & 6 students to think about strategies and activities they can do, to help improve, and then maintain healthy freshwater habitats and ecosystems for all plants and animals for survival, and for us all to enjoy. For more information email Phil Lightbourne Youth South Chair.

NB this competition is only open to schools in Whanganui, Ruapehu, Rangitikei, Manawatū, and as far south as Foxton. Eligible schools have already been emailed so check with your school office for more information.

ENM Environmental Initiatives Fund

ENM Environmental Initiatives Fund Large Grants Round opens 1st February 2022. The fund supports Palmerston North-based community initiatives that improve environmental outcomes.  Small Grants (up to $1000) and Large Grants (between $1000 and $12,000) are available for projects that align with PNCC’s Eco-City Strategy priorities, and any identified priorities of the Environment Network Manawatu. The Large Grants round will be open from 1st February- 15th March. Applications for Small Grants are continually accepted. Click here for more information, and details of drop-in sessions where you can come and talk to them in person about your potential application.