Cust Preschool children plant 500 native seedlings at Jack Graham Reserve

Cust Preschool students were assisted by Year 5 and 6 students from Cust School to plant 500 seedlings at Jack Graham Reserve.

Cust preschoolers recently planted 500 native seedlings at Jack Graham Reserve.

The Cust Preschool is part of a project supported by Waimakariri Irrigation Limited, which aims to foster a lifelong connection between children and their environment.

The project provides a greenhouse, seedlings and support from a biodiversity project team member who helps children take action locally.

Since Cust Preschool joined the project four years ago, children have raised and planted around 900 native plants at Jack Graham Reserve.

The children chose the site as it was a meaningful place for picnics and recreational activities with their families.

Cust Preschool owner Amy Blatch said the project was changing the way the children view the world.

“The children have developed a really strong sense of what they can do to look after the Earth,” Blatch said.

“Having the greenhouse here at preschool and growing the plants from seed helps them see that we can do something small each day to help the plants grow.”

She said it was meaningful for the children to visit the reserve and see their plants thriving.

“It gives them a powerful connection to the environment and a positive view of what they can do in their backyard to change the world around them.”

Blatch said Year 5 and 6 Cust School students helped preschoolers plant native seedlings at the recent planting day.

She said the experience strengthened community connections.

“Having Cust School students helping us meant that all the children, including our nursery, were able to be part of this special planting day.

“The children and their families will be able to remember what they did here and continue to pass those stories on through their families over the generations by revisiting the site and seeing positive progress for the environment.”

Waimakariri Irrigation Limited biodiversity project lead Dan Cameron said it had been extremely rewarding to work with Cust Preschool to restore indigenous biodiversity along the Cust River, which flows through Jack Graham Reserve.

“Right from the start, the children have been very enthusiastic,” he said.

“We tailor the programme to their level, and they are involved throughout the entire process of planting, growing and caring for the seedlings.”

Cust Preschoolers raised the native seedlings, provided by Waimakariri Irrigation Limited, in a greenhouse at their school.

Cameron said the next step for the children was to grow native plants from locally eco-sourced seedlings collected from nearby planting projects.

“This is a sustainable grassroots initiative where the students are the leaders, and we are supporting them,” he said.

“When you can see the entire lifecycle of the plant from sourcing the seeds through to planting the seedlings, you have a special appreciation for the environment, which you will carry with you throughout your life.”

The Waimakariri District Council will maintain the planting area.

Council senior biodiversity ranger Michael Kwant said both the council and the project benefited from the partnership.

“Dan and the Cust students have taken a bit of a damp site on the reserve and improved it with the planting project, so we are happy to facilitate the long-term maintenance of the site.

“When people in the community have the energy and vision to collaborate on improving the environment, it is a win for everyone.”