Each year Taranaki Regional Council recognises and celebrates outstanding mahi and initiatives that aim to help protect and enhance the region’s environment under 7 categories including youth leadership and environmental action in education.
Judges will evaluate applications against the:
- degree to which a practical contribution to the sustainable management of Taranaki’s natural resources has been made
- degree to which a practical contribution to the sustainable management of Taranaki’s natural resources has been made
- demonstrated success of the project in terms of mitigating potential environmental impacts and/or environmental protection efforts, including the significance and magnitude of such efforts
- the extent to which the project or individual has increased understanding of, or bought about change on, environmental issues
- demonstrated innovation or collaboration.
Addison Moore, recipient of the Taranaki 2024 Youth Leader Award.
The 2024 winner of the Taranaki Youth Environmental Leader Award was Addison Moore. Addison is the driving force behind Stratford Primary School’s Tuis environmental team, developing ways to promote environmental learning and sustainability for tamariki. She’s working for the Green-Gold Enviroschool to go Zero Waste and every Friday delivers an environmental message to the school assembly. Addison raises funds by selling sustainable products made by herself and other students and she jointly won a Junction primary school upselling competition. The judges commend Addison’s exceptional leadership and passion for environmental sustainability.
Addison says: “My passion is the environment and looking after and caring for it. There’s no ‘Planet B’ and I love to influence those around me.”
Highly commended went to Scarlett Bines and Amélie Staunstrup Moore for their development of Aqua Quack, a remote-controlled device that aims to help nationally threatened whio, or blue ducks.
The winner of the 2024 Taranaki Environmental Action in Education Award was Uruti School.
Working alongside Ngāti Mutunga monitoring tuna.
Uruti School has been instrumental in providing environmental learning opportunities for its tamariki including predator trapping, planting trees, caring for the Uruti awa, investigating freshwater quality and implementing sustainable practices in the day-to-day operations of the school. The kura works alongside Ngāti Mutunga in a Curious Minds project looking at koura in the local river and is a Silver Enviroschool. The judges commended the school for its comprehensive approach to environmental education and empowering students through hands-on experiences.
Teacher Diane Scott says: “Uruti is just a small rural school with eight students and the Enviroschool thing is just what we do, it’s not an add-on, it’s everyday practice.”
Highly Commended went to Stratford Primary School for empowering tamariki to take action to protect and restore the environment through their extensive programme teaching tamariki about the environment and sustainability with youngsters learning about the importance of all living things, and Tree Machine for empowering rangatahi to take action to protect and restore the environment with the knowledge, practical skills and qualifications needed for work in conservation, forestry, land management, arboriculture and related fields.
Banner image: Uruti School
Congratulations everyone!