Blog - Enviroschools Marlborough

October 14, 2026

Fairhall School – Waste Wise & Creative Solutions

Fairhall School’s Envirogroup has been diving deep into the kaupapa of Zero Waste. They have been exploring how they can reduce rubbish and rethink materials within their school community. Ramona and Sarah visited with the new Waste Wise programme that can be leant out to schools. It is full of activities and learning topics, and can be used for the group’s fortnightly hui, sparking lively discussion and discovery. The session began with the Waste Timeline activity, where everyone was astonished to learn that glass can take up to a million years to break down. The tauira already knew that plastic never truly decomposes — instead turning into microplastics that remain on Papatūānuku forever —...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

October 13, 2026

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Canvastown School – Native Planting & Web of Life Learning

Planting day Canvastown School took powerful action for te taiao this term, planting 140 native trees and grasses — including mānuka, toetoe, carex, karamū, and harakeke — along the bank that leads to their bottom field. This area borders a stream that flows directly into their local awa, Te Hoiere. The planting was designed to stabilise the soil and reduce erosion, improving water quality downstream. Ready for planting Before and after planting, tamariki explored the Enviroschools “Web of Life” activity, learning about the interconnectedness of all living things. Through this, they discovered how their planting supports the birds, insects, soil life, and water — and even contributes to...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

October 13, 2026

Enviroschools stories General

Linkwater School – Bee Awareness, Seed Bombs & A Senior Trapline Project

This term, Linkwater School has been buzzing with purposeful environmental action. As part of Bee Awareness Month, the Juniors welcomed Sarah Huntley into their classroom to explore the vital role bees play in pollination and ecosystem health. Tamariki learned how bees support the food systems we rely on. Why protecting them matters, and how small actions can make a big difference. To put their learning into action, the Juniors made flower seed bombs — a fun, hands‑on way to create future food sources for pollinators. The excitement was contagious, with students proudly shaping, rolling, and planning where their seed bombs would be scattered to help bees thrive around their kura and community. Meanwhile, a passionate...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

October 13, 2026

Enviroschools stories General

Bee Aware Month in Marlborough

Bee Aware Month is celebrated every September to recognise the important role that bees play in Te Taiao. This year across Marlborough many tamariki had the opportunity to learn and take action for bees. Learning was not limited to just honey bees either, bumblebees were also recognised for their vital role in pollination. To support this learning the New Zealand Bumblebee Conservation Trust gifted multiple copies of the story Bumblebee written by author Rachel Weston. These books were gratefully appreciated and used alongside multiple activities.

: Joy reading the Bumblebee book to tamariki at Springlands Kindergarten

: Tamariki learning about pollination through a game

Our Environmental Educator, Ramona, distributed these amongst centres and kindergartens and also shared them with our Kindergarten Kids Edible Garden facilitator Joy. Joy read the story to...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

September 25, 2026

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Waitaria Bay School – Everyday Kaitiakitanga & Solar Learning in the Sounds

Waitaria Bay School welcomed Angela and Sarah in Term 3 for a full day of sharing, exploring, and celebrating the incredible environmental mahi they carry out as part of everyday school life. The visit offered a rare glimpse into the depth of their ongoing projects. Including the independence of their tamariki as active kaitiaki of their remote Marlborough Sounds environment. Every term, the students from Waitaria Bay School travel to Manaroa Head to complete Litter Intelligence monitoring, contributing valuable data to the nationwide Sustainable Coastlines database. Their commitment to this long‑term citizen science project shows a strong understanding of how local action supports national environmental knowledge. Back at school, the tamariki proudly showed us their...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

September 23, 2026

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Pokapoka Visit

As an extension on their learning about Energy, tamariki from Mayfield Kindergarten took a trip to visit a local historical site - Pokapoka, Seventeen Valley At Mayfield Kindergarten, tamariki had been learning about the energy from Ruaumoko when Wairau began sharing the story passed to her from her papa about the tsumani that washed across our shores many years ago. To empower Wairau with her korero, kaiako Natasha organised a trip to Pokapoka. Wairau’s papa, Keelan Walker, also came and together they shared the history of the site. Tamariki from Mayfield Kindergarten, staff and management from the Marlborough Kindergarten Association and our Environmental Education team had the pleasure of listening and learning about the...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

September 22, 2026

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Growing Kūmara, Growing Knowledge

Over the past few years there has been an increasing interest in growing kūmara in Marlborough. We have seen this in both schools with our Kids Edible Gardens facilitators and ECE centres. So this term we hosted a workshop to deepen and strengthen this knowledge alongside Reuben Molnar from Te Whatu Ora and Tane Anderson from Sports Tasman. Reuben and Angela demonstrating how to set up a tāpapa Reuben Molnar, has been raising kūmara tipu with rangatahi at NMIT and growing crops at the community gardens. Over the past couple of years the rangatahi have generously shared some of the tipu they raised with Kids Edible Gardens. This has given our...

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September 21, 2026

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Aquanauts – Exploring Beneath the Surface

Twenty tamariki from four schools became Aquanauts for the day, joining Glenis Paul from the NZ Marine Studies Centre for an amazing day of hands-on science, problem-solving and underwater exploration. Glenis doing a demostration The morning began by exploring the nature of science - observing, measuring, identifying, questioning and using evidence to find answers. Tamariki rotated through a range of activities, measuring the salinity and temperature of water from rivers, estuaries and the moana. Then estimating the age of tuangi by counting the ribs on their shells. Followed by identifying different shells and becoming mudflat detectives by matching signs of life with the creatures that made them. Next came some very cool...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

September 15, 2026

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Looking at the Awa Through a Different Lens

Five classes from Riverlands School headed to the Taylor River this term for a stream study to support their classroom inquiry learning. With the water still far too chilly for tamariki to get in, it was the perfect opportunity to discover that there are other ways we can assess the health of an awa. Riffles are shallow fast flowing areas where water bubbles over rocks adding oxygen to the awa. Tamariki put their observation skills to the test, taking a close look at what was happening in and around the river. They investigated the material covering the stream bed, the amount of algae present, pools, riffles and runs, plants providing shade...

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September 9, 2026

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From Envirogroup Event to Whole-School Action!

It’s always exciting to see learning turn into action! After taking part in Enviroschools student events over the past couple of years exploring themes including World Environment Day, renewable energy and, most recently, our amazing biodiversity. The Envirogroup at St Mary's School decided it was time to share some of their learning with the rest of their school. The team came up with the idea of organising their own whole-school environmental morning. This involved everyone taking part in two hands-on activities in their house groups. Activities ranged from upcycling old T-shirts into shopping bags, making bird feeders, to building solar ovens and getting active with a water relay.

: Helping biodiversity by making tasty treats for manu hanging up to dry

: Tamariki learning about renewable energy and making solar ovens.

Of course, organising activities...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

September 8, 2026

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Diving Beneath the Surface

Term 3 kicked off with an amazing virtual reality learning experience for 180 Year 7 and 8 tamariki. Glenis started with a karakia to set the intensions for the session. Glenis Paul from the NZ Marine Studies Centre led six sessions that took students on a virtual dive beneath the waves. They explored some of Aotearoa’s unique marine habitats and the creatures that call them home. St Mary's students - It feels so real you just want to reach out and touch what is in front of you. There were plenty of “oohs” and “aahs” as the headsets went on and tamariki and accompanying teachers suddenly found themselves...

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September 2, 2026

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Manu Weaving

A number of kaiako from ECE through to secondary school took part in a hands on Nga Taonga Takaro workshop with Harko Brown at the end of term 2. During this workshop kaiako had the opportunity to learn about and experience a variety of traditional māori games - one of these included the use of a woven manu (bird). Unfortunately there wasn’t enough time to learn to weave this manu on the evening but this create an opportunity for a follow up workshop. So early in term 3, Ramona organised for a group of kaiako to get back together to do exactly that. Ramona and a couple of other teachers had had the opportunity...

by Enviroschools Marlborough