Enviro-School

Onerahi Primary School is now a Green Gold Enviro-School Award Winner.

The Northland Regional Council presented us with this special award for our continued commitment towards learning in, about and for our environment and sustainability across the school.

Sustainability in education

Sustainability in education is a school-wide goal and a focus across our curriculum. Sustainability is the central curriculum concept that underpins inquiry learning in the classrooms.

The students have created areas within the school grounds where they can learn about habitats and the animals that live there.

These areas include a butterfly garden that the students designed and created themselves. There is a native bush area that is continually being extended, numerous vegetable gardens, a fruit forest and a bee garden.

Our beehives give the students an opportunity to learn about the importance of bees and beekeeping. We work with a local apiarist to harvest the honey. This is then labelled and sold at school.

Onerahi Primary School children are also key contributors to conservation projects in the community.

They are involved with the development of a local wetland which ensures our storm water is clean before entering the harbour. We have a close connection to Limestone Island and frequently visit the island to help plant trees, learn about their kiwi crèche and about the history of the island. We regularly participate in the Experiencing Marine Reserves programme, where the children see first-hand, the effect marine reserves have on biodiversity.

Our school-wide approach to recycling and waste, has seen a large reduction in the amount of rubbish that is taken to the landfill.

Our food scraps go to the worms in our worm farm. The paper is reused or collected by the Paper for Trees Education programme, who exchange the paper for native trees.