Schools share $20,000 enviro awards

 

Projects involving everything from disappearing native frogs to re-emerging kiwi are among 25 school initiatives to share this year’s $20,000 Northland Regional Council Environmental Curriculum Awards (ECAs).

The annual awards aim to foster excellence in environmental education. Schools are eligible for up to $2000 each to educate children ‘in, about and for’ the environment.

This year 23 recipients will receive between $200 and $1700 each for 25 projects.

 Regional councillors Bill Rossiter and Bronwyn Hunt – who selected this year’s winners – were impressed by the scope and quality of projects which will see the enthusiastic involvement of hundreds of people across entire school communities.

Councillor Rossiter says the ECAs recognise and support the environmental education efforts put in by more than 2200 Northland students in 140 classes and/or school student environmental groups.

“It’s also great to once again see a good geographic spread with eight of our winning schools based in the Far North, eleven in the Whangarei district and four in Kaipara,” Cr Hunt says.

Projects include a tiny school west of Whangarei which will play a valuable role in the region’s kiwi conservation efforts, another in Ohaeawai which aims to encourage native frogs back into local waterways and a third at Opua which hopes to provide more families with laying hens to develop sustainable backyards.

Kaipara recipients were Dargaville Intermediate (minimising waste project), Maungaturoto School (class gardens), Ruawai College (shadehouse), and Tangiteroria School (orchard extension).