Projects from film making to creating habitats for New Zealand’s increasingly rare freshwater crayfish are among 19 school initiatives to share this year’s $20,000 Northland Regional Council Environmental Curriculum Awards (ECAs).
Northland Regional Council Environmental Education Officer Susan Botting says the annual awards aim to foster excellence in environmental education, with schools eligible for up to $2000 each for their efforts to educate children “in, about and for” the region’s environment.
This year’s 19 recipients will receive amounts between $443 and $1880 each for their projects.
“Once again, this year’s projects were impressive; both in their scope and their quality. Especially pleasing is the increasing role that students are playing in planning and designing them.”
She says the ECAs recognise and support the environmental education efforts put in by more than 2200 Northland students (aged five to 18) in 106 classes. Ten winning schools are based in the Far North, eight the Whangarei District and one in Kaipara.
The winning schools (in alphabetical order) and their projects are:
1. Kaikohe West School
Project: Gardens for Life
Funding: $891.96
Project Details: The school wants to continue building its Education for Sustainability programme by creating a new vegetable garden to help reduce its carbon footprint. More than 200 students (aged eight to 11) involved. Funding will contribute to the garden.
2. Kaitaia Abundant Life School
Project: Beyond Beauty
Funding: $1521.33
Project Details: Building the school’s visual appeal while boosting biodiversity through student-directed native plantings. Involves 230 students (aged eight to 11) with ECA funding used for native plants and other materials.
3. Kaitaia College
Project: Film 4 Sustainability
Funding: $958.20
Project Details: Producing a movie to enter New Zealand’s annual ‘Outlook for Someday’ sustainability-themed film competition. Funding will purchase film production equipment. Fifteen senior secondary students involved.
4. Karetu School
Project: Waste no Waste
Funding: $540.26
Project Details: Developing a school-wide waste management system to eliminate school waste via composting and recycling. Twenty-four students (aged nine to 13) involved and funding will pay for a three-bay composting bin.
5. Okaihau College
Project: Te Waharoa o Okaihau College – entranceway garden
Funding: $1264.32
Project Details: Creating a school entranceway garden ‘Te Waharoa O Okaihau College’ with a New Zealand natives theme. Funding will contribute to plants and materials and more than 60 students (aged 11 to 13) involved.
6. Onerahi School
Project: Glasshouse growing
Funding: $1333.33
Project Details: Setting up a glasshouse to grow natives for Onerahi’s newly developing local community wetlands and possibly Limestone Island. Funding will contribute to glasshouse purchase and 420 students (aged five to 10) participating.
7. Opononi Area School
Project: Outdoor learning area
Funding: $444.44
Project Details: School to develop outdoor classroom areas, Maori medicinal gardens and an edible garden. ECA funding will purchase four tables for students to work on and 140 students (aged nine to 17) participating.
8. Oromahoe School
Project: Bountiful Biodiversity
Funding: $177.77
Project Details: School to plant a corridor of 30 cabbage trees to honour its recent adoption of this native as the school’s logo. Funding will pay for the trees and 60 students (aged five to 12) taking part.
9. Otaika Valley School
Projects: Rere Whakaruru – Flight Haven (Butterfly Garden)
Funding: $443.35
Project Details: The school wants to create ‘Rere Whakaruru – Flight Haven’; a butterfly garden. Funding will help establish the garden. More than 80 students aged five to 11 participating.
10. Oturu School
Projects: Students for Bees: Bees for Students
Funding: $1000
Project Details: Re-establishing school beehives wiped out by varroa mite bee pest. Funding will buy beehive kits and 65 students (aged five to 13) involved.
11. Parua Bay School
Project: Parua Bay School Wildlife Walkway
Funding: $1850
Project Details: School to create a wildlife walkway on its land, en route to the foreshore. Funding will help buy metal for the walkway across school-owned land and 170 students (aged five to 13) participating.
12. Poroti School
Project: Garden to table
Funding: $1400.39
Project Details: School to upgrade its vegetable gardens with new boxing, compost and irrigation. ECA funding will help purchase an irrigation system and other materials with 35 students (aged five to 13) involved
13. Riverview School
Project: Project Kokano
Funding: $551.11
Project Details: Establishing purpose-built worm farm and planting native trees. ECA funding will pay for worm farm, some native trees and more than 300 students aged five to 11 participating.
14. Ruakaka School
Project: From Seed to Sustenance to Sustainability – the three S’s
Funding: $1450
Project Details: Setting up a greenhouse to supply seedlings for the school’s seven edible gardens. ECA funding will contribute to new greenhouse purchase and 155 students (aged five to 11) involved.
15. St Francis Xavier School
Project: Native Bird Gardens
Funding: $500
Project Details: Native tree planting project. Funding will buy trees and 40 students aged eight to 11 taking part.
16. Tangowahine School
Project: Magic Gardens
Funding: $1297
Project Details: School to expand garden and boost a natives area. Funding will buy native plants, an outdoor working table and other material. About 50 students (aged five to 12) involved.
17. Tikipunga High School
Project: The Watering Hole
Funding: $1688.89
Project Details: Students creating a restful Japanese-themed water feature in their school grounds ECA funding will help purchase of materials. A class of 30 students aged 11 to 18 will be participating.
18. Waima School
Project: Waima School’s growing journey and Koura enhancement
Funding: $1880
Project Details: Developing a koura (native crayfish) friendly waterway by clearing and planting natives along a school drain. Funding will help buy native plants and other materials. More than 50 students aged five to 13 participating.
19. Waipu School
Project: Garden Group – Edible garden
Edible Hedge
Funding: $802.57
Project Details: Extending school gardens to provide food for both students (on school camps) and birds. ECA funding will contribute to garden shed, pots and garden edging and 420 students (aged five to 10) involved.
Further information:
Susan Botting, Environmental Education Officer, Northland Regional Council
Ph: (09) 438 4639.
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