TAIR-AWHITI Enviroschools - Kia ora koutou - Gisborne District Council
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
-
TAIRAWHITI
Enviroschools
Term 3
Kia ora koutou
The sun is beginning to feel a little warmer on my skin. The days are getting longer, fruit
trees are bursting into blossom and vegetables are finally growing a bit faster! This is a great
time of the year to be out in our school maara kai, planning, planting, weeding, mulching,
harvesting, cooking and eating! Welcome to GBHS as our newest member of the Tairawhiti
enviroschools whanau. It will be exciting to watch the possibilities of environmental
sustainable leadership in the future.
2018 has been a very busy year for Tairawhiti Enviroschools, loads of fabulous events and a
new regional coordinator. A huge welcome to Darnelle Timbs who has very capably stepped
into Anne Lister’s role. “I’m passionate for our young people to have the opportunity for
environmental education and experiences in our local environment. Looking forward to Your new Tairawhiti Enviroschools team. Kirsty,
meeting and working with you all” Darnelle Timbs. Darnelle and Kauri. Photo credit: Strike Photography
Wairestoration
You may have seen our new project on the front page of the Gisborne staff from Gisborne Airport, Eastland Port and Eastland Group. 1300
Herald (August 4). http://gisborneherald.co.nz/localnews/3518288-135/ native trees were planted which were funded by Gisborne Airport
saving-the-stream. We have been working hard for a few years to and 250 trees donated by Womens Native Tree Project, which were all
make this happen in Tairawhiti. We had a very inspiring trip to Kerikeri mulched with carpet, newspaper and bark.
earlier this year that helped make this happen. Huge mihi to Jo Graham With more trees, biodiversity in the area will increase so
from GGHS and Caron Taana from Te Waha o Rerekohu School for Waimaintainance has already started. The Department of Conservation
attending this hui with us. “The kaupapa of Wairestoration is all about has helped set out rat and stoat traps to catch any predators. Reported
engaging young people and local communities in the restoration of sightings of the matuku (bittern) in this area will benefit from trapping.
waterways and biodiversity” Kirsty Gaddum. Check out this new project when you drive to the airport next time, to
Wairestoration has 7 streams that weave this programme together. the left and right off Aerodrome Road.
Our first awa is the beautiful Waikanae Stream, named after the kanae
(mullet) that used to be plentiful. We started off with Waimonitoring
with Amy Hardy from Nga Mahi Te Taiao. Students from GGHS, GBHS,
Campion College and Te Karaka Area School have all tested the water
for pH, temperature, clarity and conductivity. Best of all was fishing in
the stream for macroinvertebrates. These little creatures give us an
indication of water quality, ones like mayflies only live in good quality
water. Unfortunately we found large amounts of gambusia (mosquito
fish) and snails which all indicate low water quality.
Students immediately identified that the paddocks that ran down to
the stream by Gisborne Airport should be fenced off from stock. Thus
Waifencing began with the wonderful tutors from Turanga Ararau. Our
students have fenced off approximately 500m to date, of the upper
Waikanae Stream so that the cows and horses don’t have access to the
stream anymore. This will prevent bank erosion, sediment running into
the stream, excess nutrients entering the water and shade the stream
so more dissolved oxygen is in there. Our 8 wire fences have been
funded by Gisborne Airport. Our students also gain NCEA credits for
their hard work.
With the stream now fenced off, a large community planting day took
place on Friday 3rd of August with students, community members and First day at the awa, waimonitoring, how clean is Waikanae Stream?
Darnelle Timbs | P 06 869 2727 | E Darnelle.Timbs@gdc.govt.nz
Kirsty Gaddum | E kirstygaddum@gmail.com
Kauri Forno | E kauri_99@yahoo.co.uk
Supported by: Gisborne District Council | Department of Conservation | HB Williams Trust | JN Williams Trust
-
TAIRAWHITI Enviroschools
More Native trees Mufti day
We love supporting our theme area, Living
Landscapes. Sometimes schools can be
fundraiser
dominated by buildings, concrete and grass.
St Mary’s School have been having
For our landscapes to be truly living they
trouble keeping the weeds down in
need biodiversity. More native trees means
one unruly end of their native tree
more native insects, birds, skinks etc. Our local
planting. Students struggled to weed
enviroschools have been very busy this planting
with giant fennel and very long grass.
season getting thousands of native trees into
They decided the best solution would
their schools and local communities.
be to pay someone to scrub bar that
Ka pai Muriwai, St Mary’s, Campion, Te Hapara, Muriwai School transforming the entrance to their
area. They had no funding so needed
Wainui, Makaraka and Mangapapa. Thanks also kura. Tamariki had two sessions of brainstorming
ideas with Kirsty using the enviroschools kit
to fundraise for this. They came
to The Women’s Native Tree Project Trust for
activities to create a vibrant sustainable kura up with the Bee green Mufti day,
donating many of these trees.
students dressed up in green for the
day and the koha paid for the scrub
Reflection Congratulations barring. Students loved the dress up
and the area is now easy for students
to move around in and weed.
Ka mau te wehi! Well done Campion, GGHS and Gisborne Intermediate for all reflecting successfully
at bronze this year. Please get in touch if you feel you want to do a reflection as this is a meaningful
way of acknowledging the awesome mahi that has been going on and gives direction for where
your enviroschools journey can head.
Fabulous outfits!
Principal’s
workshop
Marvellous day at Kaiti School for our
Principal’s workshop. We had a very
warm welcome and learnt how to
dream big to look after Papatuanuku.
At Wainui Beach School they shared
how they started the Enviroschools
journey and kept everyone involved.
The earth champions envirogroup finishing their bronze reflection by delivering GOOS boxes to all class rooms.
Darnelle Timbs | P 06 869 2727 | E Darnelle.Timbs@gdc.govt.nz
Kirsty Gaddum | E kirstygaddum@gmail.com Our teachers and principals learning
Kauri Forno | E kauri_99@yahoo.co.uk about how composting works at Wainui
Beach School
Supported by: Gisborne District Council | Department of Conservation | HB Williams Trust | JN Williams Trust
-
TAIRAWHITI Enviroschools
Plastic Bag Free
Tairawhiti
Well done our regular students from GBHS and other high
schools that have started going to the monthly clean ups
organised by this amazing group. We were so impressed
to see huge groups of our students and their whanau
at the Waikanae Beach clean up in July. We can support
any beach or river clean ups your school might like to get
involved in with gloves, bags and rubbish pick up.
The next PBFT beach clean-up is at Midway Beach on
30th September at 3pm.
Manutuke T shirt bags Vision mapping
Room 3 has had an inquiry unit on plastic in the ocean Loved the whanau hui at Kaiti School.
for term one and two this year. They have learnt about Amazing attendance and a great way
the gyres and why we need to stop putting plastics in for our amazing lead teacher Koka
the ocean. They made pencil containers out of plastic Sara to engage whanau in discussing
bottles and learnt about their ancestors using hue the vision map the whole school has
instead of plastic. been working on.
Students making T shirt bags. Easy fun activity we can
help with.
Science Fair
Delighted with the increase in enviro topics
for this year’s Science and Technology Fair.
Plastic bio bags, environmentally friendly
bags, compostable cups, slash to biogas,
environmentally friendly skateboards. It
was all there! Congratulations on winning
the Zero Waste Tairawhiti Enviroschools Maori medium
award Alani, Samara and Petiata from
Gisborne Intermediate. We loved your schools
research into reusing plastic bottles by
turning them into bricks. Great scientific We are pleased to be working with
tests on how strong the bricks were – Rawinia Kingi from Te Aho Tū Roa.
they drove over them! Our close runner She is based here in Tairawhiti and
up was Oliver, Anais, Holly and Charlotte is available to work in our Maori
from Makauri School. They extensively medium schools. Please contact her,
researched rubbish at their school and rawinia@teahoturoa.org.nz
created a very cute pig face bin that
opened up electronically to help motivate
students to recycle their food scraps.
Bricks made from plastic bottles and a cute
pig bin design.
Darnelle Timbs | P 06 869 2727 | E Darnelle.Timbs@gdc.govt.nz
Kirsty Gaddum | E kirstygaddum@gmail.com
Kauri Forno | E kauri_99@yahoo.co.uk
Supported by: Gisborne District Council | Department of Conservation | HB Williams Trust | JN Williams Trust
-
TAIRAWHITI Enviroschools
Healthy Water Workshop Action funding decisions
Apologies from our team but due to the change in
We had quite the adventure exploring the Mangapapa Stream from its
Regional Coordinator we had to delay making decisions
muddy headwaters, through Mangapapa School, past the inanga spawning
this year. Thanks to the ongoing support from Eastland
site to the Taruheru River. We made several inanga spawning structures from
Port we are funding these fabulous local projects:
cocount matting, hay and harakeke to help them survive our silty streams.
Amy Hardy from Nga Mahi Te Taiao helped us learn more about the water Makaraka – solar sign on their cycle way
quality, we planted 17 riparian harakeke and learned about the amazing life Kaiti – rongoa garden
of our native inanga from Jamie Foxley. Campion – vege garden development
Matawai – shadehouse supplies to support native
plantings and “Dawn chorus “ project
Te Hapara and GGHS – paper recycling bins
St Mary’s - Rerenga awa archway
Always good to start thinking now about projects you
might like us to fund next year. Applications will be sent
out at the start of 2019 and will be due the end of term 1.
The Localising Food Project
The Localising Food Project has a strategy to further the
aims of Enviroschools throughout New Zealand using
high-quality documentary films, Growing Schools, S.O.S.
Save Our Seeds, Edible Paradise, and Hands On Seed
Saving. Founder, Robina McCurdy says “We have spent
most of a decade producing high quality, educational
documentaries and materials on sustainability that can
now be used by Enviroschools in community building,
fundraising and initiating new practical projects that are
Learning how to make inanga spawning structures easy to implement and integrate with school curriculum.
And now we’ve gone even further and developed a two
Maara kai masterchef challenge part proposal including a series of “Film & Feast Evenings”
that will make our films easy, affordable and even turn
Everyone was magnificent!!! Well done the fabulous gardeners, teachers, them into fundraisers.” To discuss anything further please
whanau, support staff and chefs for impressing everyone with the high contact Zahra on localisingfood@gmail.com or 020 4077
standard of your cooking and presentation. It is very heartening to see a 1446 https://www.localisingfood.com/
generation of capable gardeners and cooks.
Supreme winner – Max Gaddum and Sam Williams, Makaraka School
Best main – Wainui Beach School
The Great Kererū Count 2018
Best school garden – Te Hapara School The Great Kererū Count is New Zealand’s biggest citizen
science project. The project is all about community
Pic 1: Riverdale’s award winning Matariki themed menu
participation through citizen science. Citizen science is
Pic 2: Campion’s amazing produce and beautiful display board
the collection and analysis of data relating to the natural
Pic 3: Stylish dumplings from Wainui (front) and Te Hapara’s delicious beetroot
world by members of the general public, typically as part
drink
of a collaborative project with professional scientists.
The annual count has been running for 4 years. The Great
Kererū Count runs from 21-September to 30-September.
https://www.greatkererucount.nz/
Upcoming events
Zero waste theme area workshop for teachers and
students Tuesday 30 October. Book this day in for the lead
teachers and 4-5 envirogroup students to explore the
world of zero waste! More details soon
Darnelle Timbs | P 06 869 2727 | E Darnelle.Timbs@gdc.govt.nz
Kirsty Gaddum | E kirstygaddum@gmail.com
Kauri Forno | E kauri_99@yahoo.co.uk
Supported by: Gisborne District Council | Department of Conservation
HB Williams Trust | JN Williams Trust
You can also read
