An Earthwise fund has helped the Hokitika School community to construct a tunnel house that will be utilised for a range of growing projects including native seedlings for helping regenerate a ngahere. This is part of a wider vision to create spaces within the school to help equip and empower tamariki with knowledge and skills for sustainability and enhance biodiversity of the area.
Starting the construction.
With the funding help from Earthwise Action Fund and our amazing school fundraising group, ‘Friends of Hokitika Primary School’, we have been able to purchase and construct a Morrifield Tunnel house in our Enviroschools gardening area. Two groups of students were involved, our Gardening Crew and our Taiao Warriors Envirogroup, who help make our school as environmentally friendly as possible. Our Enviroschools group are learning about sustainability and how we can care for our environment for our future tamariki. We were able to utilise the tunnel house to grow native plant seedlings, and then plant these in our back field and around our new school bike track.
Our māra kai was abundant during Term 1 thanks to their hard work. These groups show great commitment and put in the mahi to complete projects and support fundraising ideas, for example – harvesting pumpkins to make soup.
Courgette plants producing well in the maara kai.
Strawberries – a successful crop.
“We are so very grateful for the Earthwise grant – this is now an amazing asset for our school.” – Loren Watson
Banner image: Hokitka Primary School Principal Shane Baillie with tamariki, Thomas Wieblitz and Phoenix Oates, in front of their newly constructed Morrifield Tunnel house. Both Thomas’s and Phoenix’s dads helped us to build the tunnel house.
The completed tunnel house sitting next to the maara kai.