Council cash to foster green education

Cr Monty Knight (right), principal Fraser Smith and pupils from Kaitaia's Oturu Primary School, which is using its $500 of ECA funding to help meet the cost of new shelving and soil in its greenhouse.

Northland Regional Council members have started delivering $20,000 worth of Environmental Curriculum Awards (ECAs) to more than 20 schools around the region, including seven in the Far North.

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 23 recipients will receive between $230 and $1550 each for two dozen projects, including farm fertiliser runoff monitoring at Northland College in Kaikohe.

The council's newest member, Kaitaia-based Monty Knight, who represents the region's most northerly Te Hiku constituency, says it's a privilege to be part of a programme recognising the efforts of so many young people.

Cr Knight says this year's ECAs recognise and support the environmental education efforts put in by about 2000 students in 112 classes and/or school student environmental groups.

He's pleased to see a good geographic spread among the winners, with seven winning schools based in the Far North, 12 in the Whangarei district and four in Kaipara.

"Delivery of this year's awards began this week at Otaika School in the Whangarei District and will continue in the Far North this week," he says. "The final award will be delivered at Kaipara's Ruawai Primary School in early September."

All nine regional councillors will be involved in the ECA delivery roadshow, visiting winning schools in their respective local areas.

Kaikohe East School receives $1440 to help develop a schoolground orchard, the benefits of which include alignment with the school's kaitiakitanga value teaching and learning, plus principles of sustainability such as growing and eating locally produced food. The school project involves 241 students aged 5-11.

Kerikeri High School receives $1400 to help create a garden to provide food which will be cooked/prepared by the school's culinary and hospitality departments. Gardening, sustainable living and entrepreneurial skills will be among project benefits, along with principles of kaitiakitanga, hauora and whanaungatanga. Sixty students in two classes are involved.

Northland College at Kaikohe will get $720 to help obtain chemistry equipment which senior students will use to measure run-off resulting from using different fertiliser types and application rates on the school's 400ha farm, providing fertiliser recommendations to the school farm committee and community. This project, at the head of the Hokianga Harbour catchment, is part of a nationally groundbreaking programme working to restore local waterways' wairua. All the school's 306 students will be involved in the Waiora project at some point in their time at college.

Okaihau College will get $1200 for its Ara Rongo project, a 300m multi-sensory path for special needs students. The pathway has perspex icons of native creatures including fish such as kokopu, mini pohutukawa, native flaxes and grasses, mirror pieces, a Maori pou and wind chimes to assist the visually impaired in their movement around the school. Fifteen students aged 11-18 are involved.

Oruaiti School receives $230 to put toward worm farms as in its established gardening programme and contributing to the school's goal of being zero waste. All 63 pupils at the school are involved.

Oturu School gets $500 to buy horticultural equipment for a garden extension and redevelopment as part of a whole-school rebuild including a commercial kitchen, producing honey, eggs and much more. This project involves 162 students aged 5-13.

Peria School receives $450 to go toward building a gazebo in the school's food forest for students to use when the weather's wet. All 51 students aged 5 to 12 are involved.