Enviro grant helps Purua School pupils grow good future

Jalahn Burndred-Dawson, 9, and Hayden Booth, 12, explain the school's environmental programme which will benefit the local community for generations to come. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Thirty-two environmental scientists gathered at tiny Purua School to pitch to two big Northland corporate and conservation bodies what they would do with a grant for a plant propagation project.

Actually, the young scientists are there every week day; they're the pupils at the go-ahead country school located about 30km northwest of Whangarei.

Visiting them yesterday were representatives from Fonterra and Department of Conservation (DOC), partners in the Living Water scheme.

The visitors were delivering a $6000 grant to further the school's environmental programme which includes growing seedlings for local landowners to use for riparian planting, and to extend the "kiwi corridor".

"Building the Purua School nursery is a great example of how Living Water is connecting members of the community and enabling them to set up programmes that will deliver conservation gains in their region," North Island programme leader Tim Brandenburg said.

The children also take part in Whitebait Connection programmes, learning about the link between the bush, hills and waterways and how they contribute to the huge Kaipara Harbour catchment, school principal Autumn Ede said.

"Through that association, the children have had so many amazing experiences," Ms Ede said.

They include learning about the longfin eel, being involved in an elver translocation programme, monitoring water quality and identifying fish and insects in local waterways.

The pupil's environmental science lessons are grounded within the school's perimeter as well as the wider district, where there are already healthier waterways thanks to the school's riparian seedling raising and planting days.

Their plants are grown from eco-sourced seeds, gathered by the children under the guidance of local iwi, farmers and other conservationists, Ms Ede said.

"Our workforce is 32 kids and most of them are between five and eight years old."

The environmental curriculum began many years ago with the school's gardens and beehives.

"Then five years ago the big old pines in the school's back paddock were taken out, and they had all this spare ground.

"The kids planted native trees and that gave the school even more of an environmental focus."

In the last year Living Water Community Initiatives Fund has awarded $51,000 to nine community organisations in the Hikurangi and western Kaipara area. The other local recipients of Living Water grants are: Tanekaha Community Pest Control Area ($3903); Nga Kaitiaki O Nga Wai Māori ($4900); Integrated Kaipara Catchment Management Group ($5000); Forest Bridge Trust ($7000); Northland Fish and Game Council ($5200); Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust ($3402); Otamatea Harbour Care Society ($5736); Whakapara Marae ($10,000).