More than 230 students, teachers, family and community members gathered at Waitangi and Marsden Cove to learn more about our precious marine environment at this year’s Enviroschools regional expos.

The expos were fun, hands on and covered some serious issues in our marine environment.

Each day-long expo saw participants rotating between four 'action stations'; marine invader science experiments, whale rescue training, water craft safety and paddling waka.  Students donned lab coats to examine and identify a variety of marine invaders, took part in whale rescue training with the Department of Conservation, learnt about water craft safety and experienced traditional and modern waka.

Councillor Brown, whose Coastal South constituency includes Bream Bay where Marsden Cove is based, says “Northland is well-known internationally for its marine environment and it holds a special place not just in the in the hearts of locals but also for a great many people from outside the region.  It’s absolutely crucial that we all do our very best to protect and sustain our environment for future generations which is a key part of the Enviroschools philosophy.”

“One of the guiding principles of the programme is sustainable communities (schools, ecosystems and people) and the way these work together for future good.  The expos have once again reinforced this link. 

To read more about this event and the 19th Annual Youth Summit held recently in Whangarei, see Northland Regional Council's December 'Regional Report".

Otaika Valley School celebrated its strengths and explored opportunities for growth 'going for Enviroschools Silver' on Tuesday.  The school teamed up with Enviroschools Northland to reflect on its sustainability journey - checking out learning and action indoors and out.  

See more of what happened on the day on the Northland Regional Council's Facebook page here

Sixteen caretakers gathered from around Northland on Thursday 25th of September for a special Enviroschools Northland Caretaker workshop.

The Northland Regional Council played a key role in bringing Enviroschools north more than a decade ago in 2003 and there are now more than 70 local schools in the popular programme.

Click to read full media release by Northland Regional Council 

Peria School is the first Kura in the region to become self sufficient in sourcing their own renewable
energy. Principal Jason Tane decided to investigate options to reduce the increasingly high monthly power bill of the School and found switching to Solar power was the way to go! The official opening ceremony was held on Monday 21st of June to celebrate Peria School's new power system.
Click here to read the full article from The New Zealand Herald Website
 

Camp skills 1

Project Possum involves senior secondary students learning, practicing and being assessed on skills and knowledge related to possum trapping, skinning, fur and pelt recovery, possum biology and their environmental impact. The course offers level 2 and 3 NCEA credits. There is also the opportunity for schools and students to set up related small businesses.

More than 100 students, teachers and family members gathered near Whangarei to learn more about sustainable farming practices – and the contribution they make to Northland’s economy.

The first of two annual Enviroschools’ expos – this year themed ‘Down on the Farm’ – was held at the Kokopu property of award-winning brother and sister farmers Charmaine and Shayne O’Shea recently.

Susan Karels, the Northland Regional Council’s Regional Enviroschools Co-ordinator, says the first expo had gone ahead in fine weather and been a “roaring success”.

Mrs Karels says expo participants, most of them students aged seven to 12 from the wider Whangarei area (including Parua Bay across to Tangowahine and Ruakaka) learned from several agricultural and other experts, including Mr O’Shea.

Over the course of the day-long expo, participants had rotated between four ‘action stations’; ‘super silage’, ‘possum plucking’ ‘dairy shed antics and awesome effluent’ and ‘wetland wilderness’.

The light-hearted names and fun hands-on learning had nonetheless covered some serious issues including looking at sustainable farming practices, the roles wetlands play, pest management, effluent treatment and supplementary feeding.

“Farming is a key contributor to Northland’s regional economy and one which offers great careers for many young people,” Mrs Karels says, “however, it can be a challenge to do so sustainably sometimes and the expos were all about learning how to do this.”

She says while some participants came from a rural background, a number of the areas covered would have been a new experience for many of those taking part.

While previous years’ expos had examined bush and water themes, this month’s had been particularly exciting for the sheer scale and variety of experiences it introduced across a range of senses.

“Students tasted milk from a vat, felt the heat generated by silage, smelled all sorts of interesting farm odours and took in the beauty of the wetland.”

Mrs Karels says one of the guiding principles of the Enviroschools programme is sustainable communities (schools, ecosystems and people) and the way these work together for future good.  The expos had reinforced this link.

Professional Development – Outdoor Environments

A Professional Development workshop for ECE teachers was held on Monday 7 October 2013, at Manaia Kindergarten in Northland. The attached document contains a summary of the activities undertaken and feedback from this successful workshop. 

A wide range of pest control work with thousands of people over more than a decade has netted the Northland Regional Council a sought-after national biosecurity award – and the admiration of its peers.

Don McKenzie, the council’s Biosecurity Senior Programme Manager, says the council was delighted to receive the Peter Nelson Memorial Trophy from the New Zealand Biosecurity Institute recently.

For the full media release, click here.

Don McKenzie, Biosecurity Senior Programme Manager, with the distinctive national biosecurity award presented to the Northland Regional Council by New Zealand Biosecurity Institute recently.

Photo thanks to NRC

Northland caretakers gathered at Onerahi School to share problems and solutions to school property management while also exploring a wide range of sustainable practices.

They discovered ways to involve students in their work and ways to support their school's environmental journey. Watch the video and read more here!

Northland College student Jayden Joyce built a fence as part of a recent Enviroschools Northland WaiFencing skills workshop held over four days at Trefoil Park near Kaikohe.
Jayden was one of 59 senior secondary students from around the region taking part in the May workshops, which are designed to boost the participants’ qualifications and future employment opportunities as well as better protect the region’s waterways from stock.

The WaiFencing workshops form part of a wider WaiRestoration pilot project being jointly developed in Northland by the Northland Regional Council, the national Enviroschools Foundation and contractor Papa Taio-Earthcare. The WaiRestoration pilot is about supporting farmers and engaging young people and local communities to get involved in restoring our waterways and biodiversity.

Those involved in the project’s development hope to eventually see it rolled out nationally.

Story from: Northland Regional Council's regional report, Issue 28, June 2013

WaiRestoration is an exciting new project that’s all about supporting farmers and engaging young people and local communities to get involved in restoring our waterways and biodiversity.

The Enviroschools project, which kicks off this year, is being piloted in Northland. If successful WaiRestoration will likely be rolled out nationally.

It brings together a range of initiatives for improving freshwater and preserving the region’s native species. The programme has seven key elements – fencing, nurseries, planting, maintenance, monitoring, enterprise and ‘Save a Species’.

Enviroschools Facilitator (Secondary) Marty Taylor, who has been the driving force behind the WaiRestoration programme, says 10-20 schools will be involved in the initial pilot.

“One of our first steps was a professional development workshop, which was held on March 14, to introduce interested schools to the different elements of the programme and bring some schools on board for the pilot,” says Marty.

Regional Enviroschools Co-ordinator for the Northland Regional Council, Susan Karels, says the WaiRestoration pilot project aligns with the council’s strong focus on freshwater quality through its Waiora Northland Water programme.

“As well as being a valuable education tool, school and community involvement with WaiRestoration can make a real difference to the quality of our waterways – we all have a part to play,” she says.

Marty says WaiRestoration also encompasses the restoration of the region’s biodiversity, and some great ‘Save a Species’ work is starting to happen around the region.

“Schools like Ruawai and Northland colleges are already making real inroads with ‘Save a Species’."

Marty recently gave a talk on ‘Save a Species’ at a Te Uri o Hau Taumata Kaunihera (tribal council) meeting in Maungaturoto, which was well received he says.

"Interest in the programme is spreading – it’s really exciting to see that momentum building.”

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Having your say!

A video made by Northland secondary enviroschools students as part of the ReGeneration Youth Jam, is making waves on the internet! Having a voice in Northland and how to contribute to Council policies is the kaupapa of this video, check it out and be inspired!

Regional Councils around New Zealand are now consulting on their Regional Policy Statements and want to know what youth, family and friends, and community think and feel about the management of resources and development activities. 

To find out more about how you can have a say in Northland's Regional Policy Statement process visit www.nrc.govt.nz/newrps 
or check out your own Regional Council website by linking through the 'In Your Region' page. 

Find out more about ReGeneration here!

Students at Oromahoe School have adpoted fruit trees... >read more

Congratulations on Green-Gold

Mangahakia School in Northland is the first Area School in NZ to achieve a Green-Gold.
Read more about their success here!

A school interest in bee-keeping has led four students on a problem-solving adventure overseas >read more