18 schools share $20,000 NRC awards

Projects from a mobile henhouse to creating a heritage garden are among 19 school initiatives to share this year’s $20,000 Northland Regional Council Environmental Curriculum Awards (ECAs).

Northland Regional Council members Bronwyn Hunt, left, and Bill Rossiter during the selection process for the 2012 Environmental Curriculum Awards.  Environmental Education Officer Susan Botting looks on.

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 18 recipients will receive between $350 and $2000 each for their 19 projects. (Horeke School is being funded for two projects)

Regional councillors Bill Rossiter and Bronwyn Hunt - who selected this year’s winners - say they are once again impressed at the increasing breadth and quality of projects and enthusiastic involvement across entire school communities.

Councillor Rossiter says the ECAs recognise and support the environmental education efforts put in by more than 4000 Northland students (aged five to 18) in more than 100 classes and/or school student environmental groups.

“It’s also great to see a good geographic spread with five of our winning schools based in the Far North, 11 in the Whangarei district and two in Kaipara,” Cr Hunt says.

The winning schools and GST exclusive funding for their projects are:

Dargaville Intermediate
Project: School nursery and vegetable garden
Funding: $1400
Contact: Diane Papworth (09) 439 6450
Funding towards school’s native plant nursery programme and vegetable gardens.  Funds will help fence the area where the school grows hundreds of trees annually to contribute to major Kaipara Harbour community catchment care plantings.  The whole school’s involved through speciality environmental classes with 170 plus students aged 11-13 across 10 classes.

Horeke School
Project: Toi Whenua and Kai Ora, Hauora
Funding: $1500
Contact: Moari Taylor
Funding towards two planting-themed projects - Toi Whenua and Kai Ora, Hauora.  Toi Whenua involves planting natives on the school's hillside entrance and will include student designed tekoteko (individual carved human-like poles). Kai Ora, Hauora is designed to boost existing vegetable gardening which encourages kaitiakitanga among pupils.  Twenty-five students aged five to 12 are involved in these projects.

Kamo Intermediate
Project: Islands of Life 2012            
Funding: $400
Contact: Jan O’Connor (09) 435 0343
Funding to help replenish school’s long term Islands of Life project.  This year's focus is water as a natural resource and planting to increase schoolground and neighbourhood native bird populations.  One class of 32 students aged 11-13 (years seven and eight) is driving this project extension.

Kaurihohore School
Project: Greenhouse and gardens development
Funding: $1100
Contact: David Hoskin (09) 435 0041
Funds to help build a greenhouse and boost school gardens. The whole school is involved in with 170 students aged five to 11 across nine classes.

Mangakahia Area School
Project: Eggs with Legs
Funding: $1400
Contact: Kaye Davey (09) 433 1702
Funding towards a henhouse, where chickens will be used as part of a multi-pronged system encompassing sustainable business through exchanging eggs for various surplus goods in the community.  Chickens will also eat scraps, adding another dimension to school food waste management. The whole school will be involved, with 130 students aged five to 18 participating across 10 classes.

Morningside School
Project: Garden to Table
Funding: $600
Contact: Jo Higgins (09) 438 2021
Funding towards a garden shed and gardening equipment to boost the school's established gardens.  The garden programme encourages the school towards economic and environmental sustainability through food production. Almost 200 students aged five to 11 are involved across seven classes.

Ngunguru School
Project: Regeneration
Funding: $1900
Contact: Loren Hope (09) 434 3805
Funding to help build a learning platform/weedbusting in the school's large native bush area, which it is working to regenerate.  Eighty students aged five to 12 involved.

Okaihau College
Project: Sensory Garden
Funding: $1400
Contact: Theresa Nicholson/Lynne Couling-Brown (09) 401 9030
Funding to help establish a sensory garden path to be used by the school’s special needs students.

Okaihau Primary School
Project: Mana-te-Ora, Garden of Wellbeing
Funding: $900
Contact: Natalie Snow (09) 401 9151
Funds to help develop an edible garden, learning about propagation, plant identification, soil health and nutrition.  Whole school involved  (140 students aged five to 11 across seven classes.)

Opua School
Project: Sustainability
Funding: $1400
Contact: Karen Young (09) 402 7840
Funds towards a greenhouse for native plant propagation/planting.  This whole-school project will see natives planted in the school grounds/ neighbouring community to boost food for bees and native birds, manage erosion and increase knowledge about native plants.  There are 110 students involved aged five to 13 across five classes.

Otaika Valley School
Project: Edible Gardens
Funding: $1400
Contact: Eden Hakaraia (09) 432 2731
Funds towards boosting existing gardens for expanded school vegetable production.  Whole school involved (120 students aged five to 11 involved across five classes).

Parua Bay School
Project: Shadehouse
Funding: $900
Contact: Gail Green (09) 436 5814
Funding towards a shadehouse to grow seedlings to dramatically increase plantings along the school wildlife pathway.  About 1300 natives have been planted along this walkway – which links the school with the Whangarei Harbour foreshore - in the past three years. Whole school project with 200 students aged five to 13 involved across 10 classes.

Ruakaka School
Project: Let our Environment SHINE
Funding: $1000
Contact: Jennifer Hay (09) 432 7503
Funding towards Environmental Education-themed schoolground artworks.  The murals, vegetable garden gateway arch and pou will highlight the school's environmental care code values. Whole school project involving 150 students aged five to 11 involved across seven classes.

Ruawai Primary School
Project:  Chooks for School
Funding: $350
Contact: Adele Slatter (09) 439 2307
Funding to help purchase a mobile henhouse that can be moved around the school's new orchard area to clean and fertilise. Expected project outcomes include sustainable business learning with eggs harvested by students being sold to teachers via the school staffroom. The six chickens in residence will also be used to eat school food scraps. The whole school’s involved with 120 students aged five to 11 years across five classes.

St Francis Xavier School
Project: School Vegetable Gardens
Funding: $2000
Contact: Sara Cash (09) 4371039
Funding towards a water tank to collect rainwater from classroom roofs for the vegetable garden.  Core group of about 12 students involved, with more than 200 aged seven to 11 from eight classes in wider gardening project.

Te Kura o Otangarei
Project: Fruit and Native Forest
Funding: $1000
Contact: Brenda Critchfield
Funds to help set up a fruit forest, plant native trees and raise seedlings to boost mixed classroom vegetable and flower gardens.  The whole school's involved with 130 students aged five to 13 across seven classes.

Te Tii School
Project: Chook House and Egg Production
Funding: $350
Contact: Rosina Wikaira (09) 407 9749
Funds to help pay for a chicken coop to kick start a new option focussed on sustainable business (eggs for the community), rubbish recycling and nutrition. Nine students aged five to 12 involved.

Waipu School
Project: Creating a Heritage Garden
Funding: $1000
Contact: Anne Green (09) 432 0135
Funding to help create a heritage garden with students responsible for garden design, planting and maintenance. Twenty one students aged five to eight are involved across five junior classes.