empowered students Archives - Enviroschools Marlborough

June 22, 2026

Planting for Future Generations at Thomsons Ford Road

On a beautiful sunny July day, students from Wairau Valley, Springlands, and Rapaura Schools joined the team from Trees for Marlborough for a native tree planting event at Thomsons Ford Road. Organised by Junior Landcare, Wairau Nature Network, and Enviroschools to celebrate Arbor Day. The day was an opportunity for students to make a meaningful contribution to the future of Marlborough's unique environment. Trees ready for planting The planting site is more than just a restoration project. It is also a demonstration site for low-flammability green breaks. With Marlborough's hot, dry summers and strong winds increasing the risk of wildfires, projects like this help landowners and restoration groups make informed decisions...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

The final product - a finished pest tracking tunnel

June 22, 2026

Enviroschools stories General

Becoming Pest Detectives at St Mary’s School

How have New Zealand birds adapted to their environment, and how can we help protect them for the future? Taxidermy wild life kindly lent to us by Picton Dawn Chorus That was the big inquiry question Year 7 and 8 students at St Mary's School explored with Angela with a focus on native birds and introduced predators and pests. Using real-life examples, hands-on activities, and a little detective work, tamariki discovered why many of our native manu need our help. One of the highlights of the session was meeting a collection of taxidermy animals. Students had the rare opportunity to meet introduced predators including a rat, stoat, ferret, weasel, and a cat....

by Enviroschools Marlborough

March 31, 2026

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Nature Exploration on the Taylor River

Connecting with nature helps to make us smarter, healthier and happier, this is the purpose for Blenheim’s new nature exploration space. Located on the Taylor River beneath a stand of large trees is Blenheim’s new Nature Exploration Space. The ideal spot with the surrounding environment offering an extension to the dedicated space for running, climbing and exploring. The project started last year with the Council's Environmental Education team and support from Parks and Open Spaces officer Kiri Whiteman. It began with a consultation process with young tamariki in Blenheim. They were asked what they would like to see, do, feel, hear in the new space. Tamariki were encouraged to discuss, draw and even create a...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

March 13, 2026

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Sea Week at Whatamango Bay – QCC Rangatahi in Action

A group of 20 Year 7 and 8 rangatahi led by Di Huntly from Queen Charlotte College celebrated Sea Week the best way possible by getting wet, muddy, and hands-on with tuangi/cockle monitoring at Whatamango Bay. The beautiful rimurimu meadow of Whatamango Bay The day was a special collaboration with Glenis Paul from the NZ Marine Studies Centre, Kiara Duke-Love from Te Ātiawa, and the college, bringing together science, mātauranga Māori, and local knowledge in one learning experience. The morning began with Matua Neville Tahuaroa-Watson, who opened the day with a karakia and the laying of a treasured pou. This set the intentions for the mahi ahead and asked for the protection...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

December 9, 2025

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MGC at Grovetown Lagoon

Discovering the Living Systems of Grovetown Lagoon Year 10 ākonga from the Mountains to Sea course at Marlborough Girls’ College spent the day exploring the amazing ecosystems of Grovetown Lagoon - a place they’d already been learning about in class. Split into three groups, each team started with a different adventure rotating around each activity. Group one joined local birder Phil Bradfield on a walk around the lagoon, learning to identify the many manu that make this wetland home and discovering how species like whitebait form an important part of the food chain. Group two rolled up their sleeves with Justine Johnson, helping to release young native trees from the weeds around them. Their mahi will give...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

December 9, 2025

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Nurturing and Nature

Springlands Kindergarten have added another opportunity for their tamariki to spend time in nature. The opportunity shows the Enviroschools Guiding Principle of Empowered Learners. L for Lela Teachers take the same group of six to eight students each week for a term to the same local park they can walk to - McKendry Park. Their route each week is chosen by the children, sometimes through the school next door to clamber over small mounds and wave to older brothers and sisters. Sometimes along the footpath where they can chat with locals walking by. Looking for tuna (eels) This opportunity is for nurturing both the children and the environment....

by Enviroschools Marlborough

November 27, 2025

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Picton School – Growing a Food Forest From the Ground Up

A small group of Picton School tamariki taking part in the Science Alive programme spent Terms 2 and 3 diving deep into food forests and composting. What they achieved was incredible! The food forest plan Their goal was to set up a hot composting system in their Kids Edible Gardens and transform the ornamental garden near their lunch area into a thriving, productive space full of vegetables and herbs. They began by exploring how food systems work, then headed out to Esson’s Valley to see decomposition happening naturally. In the ngahere they noticed something important, the forest has a structure. Tall trees form the canopy, smaller plants create the understory, and...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

November 27, 2025

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Kūmara – Kai from the Atua Rongomātāne: Planting Day!

As a follow-up to last term’s kūmara kaupapa, Reuben returned to Redwoodtown School. The seed bed rangitahi had prepared was overflowing with strong, healthy tipu - a sure sign the mātauranga and maramataka-aligned preparation had worked. Rachel Ellis, their KEGs facilitator, had already prepared the garden beds with some of the younger tamariki, ready for the big planting. Everyone had the chance to carefully pull the tipu from the kūmara, then take them outside to plant. Before any digging began, the class paused to honour tikanga, saying a karakia over the tipu and the garden beds. The tipu were then planted in the traditional J-shape along the top of the mounds and gently watered in. Now it’s...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

November 22, 2025

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Planting Together at Pine Valley Wetlands

Renwick School and Redwoodtown School took part in a planting day in the Pine Valley wetlands earlier this term. The idea to take part in the Pine Valley wetlands planting came from a keen group of ākonga at Renwick School. Angela, who has been supporting the group since meeting them through the Climate Change Learning Programme, reached out to the Pine Valley Committee to see if a planting day might be possible. Redwoodtown tamariki planting at the Pine Valley wetlands restoration. Committee member Rachel Ellis, who also supports the Redwoodtown School Enviroleaders, was quick to say yes! She organised her group to join in, and together they spent the day planting, learning,...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

September 10, 2025

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A New Nature Exploration Space

Last year we saw a strong focus on Nature Connection spread across schools and ECE’s in Marlborough. The growing knowledge of how important time in nature is and the relationship that we have with it meant that many were prioritising establishing their own programmes to get out there more regularly. In recognition of this and to celebrate 20 years of Enviroschools in Marlborough, our Environmental Education team explored some options to give back to the community. The result being a Nature Exploration Space. After identifying a location and having an initial meeting it was time to come up with ideas of how it could look. Who better to ask than the tamariki themselves. With a...

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