Another great day done and dusted after dozens of Horotiu School students rolled up their sleeves to complete their annual Te Awa tree planting along the Waikato River. Tuesday 17 June saw this amazing group of students take on another Te Awa Cycleway PPlanting Project day for the eighth year in a row, planting over 1800 native seedlings into their new home.
Just under 1000 of these natives were grown by the students themselves, who took charge of caring for everything from watering, to weeding, to making sure they had a cozy home in the school's greenhouse. They received a helping hand from Enviroschools Aotearoa NZ and Trees for Survival during this process.
Enviroschools Facilitator Adrienne Grant says she has been involved in the planting days since Horotiu School became a Trees for Survival School back in 2014.
“The school has been growing between 600-1000 trees each year since then – that’s a lot!” she says.
“ What struck me most today was the enthusiasm and confidence of the group of students. Tree planting and caring for the whenua is part of the school culture.
“Wherever I turned, children were having fun and supporting each other to plant the trees that they had grown from tiny seedlings alongside the ones provided by Waikato District Council.”
The event also runs alongside Matariki, the Maaori new year, where planting symbolises connection to the whenua (land), environmental stewardship, new beginnings and growth for the coming year.
We were stoked to witness the tree-mendous mahi these tamariki put in over the past eight years and cannot wait to see these seedlings grow and flourish over the next year.
A big shout out to everyone that came together to support this awesome initiative, Waikato Regional Council, Cushman & Wakefield, Citycare Property, and our local Waikato Police for providing a pretty mean sausage sizzle.
