Tongariro School
Tongariro School have joined our programme in 2024, thanks to funding from Waikato Regional Council that has allowed us to have a coordinator in Tūrangi. They have joined us to do a tour of the Kiwi incubation facility at Wairakei Golf + Sanctuary. They also learned all about weeds from us at the Water Expo at the Tongariro Trout Centre. Our Tūrangi kairuruku (Coordinator), Ariana, has been in to school regularly to teach the students about introduced predators and native biodiversity. They enjoyed making tracking tunnels with her to see what was lurking in their school grounds.
In Term 2 2024, we had our first school planting in Tūrangi when Ariana organised a planting event with Tongariro School for Matariki. The students planted about 40 plants to beautify the area in front of their wharenui. The tamariki loved it! They enjoyed learning about the native plants, why we need them, and how to plant them properly. They wrote wishes to Hiwa-i-te-Rangi (the wishing star) and planted them with their tree, then learnt about the tree that they had planted and why it is important for our ecosystem. They learnt that some trees provide food for birds, lizards, and invertebrates through nectar and berries. They also discovered that many of our native plants are host plants for unique insects, such as moths, weevils, and beetles. If we don’t have these native plants, the endemic invertebrates don’t have a home or food source!
Thanks The Possum for donating the plants for this project and Waikato Regional Council for their support of our work in Tūrangi.
