They've spent three years helping to bring a stream back to life - now students of four South Auckland schools are getting ready to spread the word about their environmental work.
The students are about to kick off a new phase of Our place, Our story, documenting how
they have cleaned up Puhinui Stream.
Wai Care co-ordinator Andrew Jenks said it would help others to learn about cleaning up polluted waterways.
Mr Jenks said the work on Puhinui Stream had been particularly intensive, with school pupils propagating native plants in specially built greenhouses at each school.
"We've done three years of pretty hard toil," he said.
"It's really a brilliant process, going from scratch ... [It shows] how difficult and long-winded it is - how difficult it is to get these things re-established."
The project has involved about 1500 students from Wiri Central School, Manurewa High, The Gardens School and Weymouth Intermediate over the years, plus teachers and community volunteers.
The waterway runs near the four Manukau City schools.
Mr Jenks said teachers and students would begin the recording phase with a workshop next month on video, interview and presentation skills.
The students would create DVD and computer slideshow presentations by the end of the year about what the stream restoration meant to them and work in interviews with parents, neighbours and others.
Restorative planting was also continuing, with a big effort due to coincide with World Environment Day in June.
Food company Nestle, which hasa factory in Wiri, gave $25,000to the Wai Care Manukau City Our place, Our story project for this year.
