Green-Gold award for Wairakei Primary School, Taupō, from Enviroschools

Past and present students assembled at Wairakei Primary School for the Enviroschools Green-Gold award. Ty Blake (left), facilitator Alex Daniel, Zoe Holt, Ashtin Broome and Paige O'Sullivan. Photo / Rachel Canning

An aquaponic strawberry anyone?

Wairakei Primary School has joined an elite group of schools within the Waikato region in receiving an Enviroschools Green-Gold award. The award was presented at assembly last week.

Waikato facilitator Alex Daniel said in the Waikato there are 185 enviroschools and just 24 have the Green-Gold status. Enviroschools are schools or early childhood education centres that have a focus on sustainability.

"An enviroschool with the Green-Gold award reflects a school where the students are empowered and it's the students who lead the action," said Alex.

There is a master plan called Taupō Environmental Education Collaborative (TEEC) for Taupō schools and early childhood centres, and Alex says TEEC makes Taupō unique. Kids Greening Taupō has a focus on biodiversity, Taupō District Council educates students about zero waste, Taupō Community Gardens helps with food growing initiatives, and Enviroschools is all about sustainability.

"The beautiful thing about TEEC is it is a really good way of bringing the community together," said Alex.

Wairakei Primary School teacher aide Diana Fitzsimmons said Wairakei Primary joined the Enviroschools programme in 2001 and was first awarded the Green-Gold award in 2014. The award was also gained in November 2020 but the official presentation was delayed three times due to the coronavirus pandemic. She said past students were also able to attend the award ceremony.

Diana said the award reflected how environmental practices are embedded right across the school and said all teachers are engaged in giving students the Enviroschools experience, as it is part of the school curriculum. The school has mainstream projects, and Diana says they also have some very different projects.

"We have a brain maize, in the shape of a head. Our swimming pool was changed into an enviro-unit, no other school has this," said Diana.

Wairakei Primary School pupils Anne Hine (left), Zoe Holt, Hana Thompson and Emily Keith with aquaponic produce. Photo / Rachel Canning

The enviro-unit contains a shadehouse, and within the shadehouse are an aquaponics unit and a hydroponics unit.

"The aquaponics unit starts with a goldfish tank. We feed the fish, the fish poo and wee filters through to the strawberries, tomatoes and silverbeet. The plants use the nutrients and then the clean water is sent back to the fish. It's a closed system."

Diana says the students enjoy picking then eating the fresh fruit and vegetables. If there is any to spare, students will stand at the gate in the morning and offer it to parents and caregivers doing the school drop-off.

"We also give our spare produce away to people in Wairakei Village."

At Wairakei Primary School, more than 50 students from Years 4 to 6 are part of the Enviroschool group, and the students meet once a week for a mix of theory and practical work.

"Our last practical was to build a greenhouse."

Student Hana Thompson, 9, says she likes playing in the maize and spending time in the enviro-unit. Her favourite Enviroschools experience so far has been seeing a baby kiwi being weighed at Wairakei Golf and Sanctuary.

"We had to be quiet. We had to wear booties on our feet," said Hana.

Anna Hine, 9, enjoyed communicating during the reflection day, and says she regularly weeds the enviro-unit garden and the caretaker's garden.

"I like taking out the weeds, getting stuck in and doing my best for nature," said Anna.

Emily Keith, 10, also enjoyed communicating during reflection day and also enjoys weeding.

In the morning, Zoe Holt, 10, often asks Diana for permission to go up to the enviro-unit, where she feeds the fish and picks fresh produce.

"Last week we planted swan plants. I hope they grow in the spring and then we can see caterpillars," said Zoe.

The next challenge is to maintain the Green-Gold award status, and Diana said for that to happen, sustainability has to be ongoing. An immediate next step is building terracing around the enviro-unit by pulling out the old pavers and digging up the soil to create raised gardens.

"The kids have the spades. There is no point in us adults doing it. They have to do it themselves, that is how they will learn."

Part of the Green-Gold award process was going through a formal reflection, "celebrating what we have achieved, and looking at next steps", Diana said.

Enviroschools facilitator Alex Daniel said students had identified things they want for the future. This includes more pathways and places to sit in the gully, taking part in a national study to research bird numbers, planting a butterfly garden, making a garden especially for bees, introducing traditional Māori gardening practices, increasing opportunities for younger students to get involved, create a policy for zero waste, and placing signage so visitors to the school know what is going on.