Some of the Year 7 and 8 students who have nurtured the new lavender garden at Brunswick School.
Some of the Year 7 and 8 students who have nurtured the new lavender garden at Brunswick School.
Horizons Regional Council has awarded 25 grants to Enviroschools with environmental and sustainability projects for 2023, with three Whanganui schools named.
The Pat Kelly Enviroschools Action Fund supports sustainability projects from Enviroschools in the Horizons region.
Horizons senior environmental educator and Enviroschools regional leader Sarah Williams says the council received 31 applications, seeking a total of just over $38,000, which is the highest it had since starting the fund in 2016.
“We were pleased to see a wide range of projects seeking support in this round of funding. Similar to last year, rainwater tanks and water conservation have continued to be popular projects, particularly with this year projected to be a dry summer with the El Nino.
“It has also been great to see a few more unique projects such as Brunswick School’s lavender garden for making lavender oil, and Marton Childcare Centre’s leafcutter bee project.”
“Unfortunately, with only $25,000 available, some Enviroschools have missed out this time.”
The Westmere School Enviro Team's latest initiative was to identify and label native trees in their nature walk. Asher, Sophia and Darcie are three of the members who took on a lead role in organising the tree labels.
Local schools the 2023 funding has been awarded to:
⦁ Brunswick School (Whanganui) — to create a lavender garden for oil production
⦁ Tawhero School (Whanganui) — towards māra kai garden supplies
⦁ Westmere School (Whanganui) — to create signage for native trees in their nature walk
⦁ Mangaweka School (Rangitīkei) — towards bush exploration resources
⦁ Marton Childcare Centre (Rangitīkei) — to buy a leafcutter bee garden starter kit
⦁ Marton Junction Community Preschool (Rangitīkei) — to provide bus transport for a community planting at Tutaenui Reservoir
⦁ Mataroa School (Rangitīkei) — to create a native plant propagation nursery
⦁ Matiere School (Ruapehu) — to purchase gardening tools and plants for a māra kai
⦁ Ngakonui Valley School (Ruapehu) — to design and paint new kowhaiwhai-style panels at the school entrance reflecting local cultural and natural history
⦁ Ohakune School (Ruapehu) — to purchase native trees for the school ngahere
⦁ Pukeokahu School (Rangitīkei) — to purchase chicken netting for their chicken run
■ The Pat Kelly Enviroschools Action Fund, formally the Enviroschools Action Fund, was renamed at the end of 2019 in memory of former Horizons councillor Pat Kelly who was an advocate for the programme.
Horizons Regional Council facilitates the regional co-ordination of the Enviroschools programme — a national behaviour change programme aiming to create a generation of young people who think and act sustainably.
There are 100 Enviroschools across the Horizons region, from early childhood education through to the primary and secondary sectors.
Enviroschools are highly engaged in a wide range of environmental actions and sustainability practices such as waste, biodiversity, transport and social justice.
