Waitoriki School in Inglewood is passionate about connecting with their place and community.
The school’s sustainable approach to learning has empowered students to take action and create positive changes in their environment with all teachers and tamariki undertaking a major planting project of 850 native trees in their school’s paddock to help regenerate the land.
The new plantings, which were donated through New Plymouth District Council’s Te Korowai o Tāne grant, will offer shading and wind shelter which in turn will help restore the paddock’s natural wetlands for bird, lizard and insect habitats.
As two-time winners of Taranaki Regional Council Environmental Awards and recently achieving Enviroschools’ top-tier Green-Gold status for long-term work in sustainability, their efforts and contributions have not gone unnoticed.
Taranaki Regional Council Enviroschools Coordinator Lauree Jones attended the first day of planting.
“It was amazing to see the tamariki getting their hands dirty and learning about the world around them. You could see a real sense of pride in the transformation they were responsible for.”
Waitoriki School principal Teresa Jones says caring for the environment is a part of the school’s curriculum.
“Sustainability is embedded in our everyday school life, from growing and harvesting in the maara and cooking lunch for the school on Fridays to repurposing materials in weekly STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) challenges and forest school.
“We aim to foster and grow empowered and informed citizens for the future who make decisions that positively impact the environment.”
Alongside sustainability efforts made within the school grounds, students have also taken their environmental action outside the school, establishing and maintaining a community orchard, looking after neighbours’ natural animal habitats by fixing fences, clearing debris from waterways and planting natives at Everett Park every year.
“By encouraging students to 'fix’ things themselves they can see first-hand how they can make a difference. Over time students become more aware of the ways they can improve and support their environment and they know that their contribution to their community is purposeful and valid. They can see the results for themselves which encourages them to do more and push further afield,” says Teresa Jones.
The Enviroschools journey involves a series of reflection stages. These stages (Bronze, Silver and Green-Gold) describe the common aspects the Enviroschools experience as their understanding and practice deepens and their actions increase. So far, only six Taranaki schools have reached the Green-Gold stage namely, Waitoriki, Moturoa School, Marco School, Toko School, Stratford Primary and Green School New Zealand.
To learn more about how your school can become a Taranaki Enviroschool, email lauree.jones@trc.govt.nz or visit www.trc.govt.nz/enviroschools-taranaki(external link).