Gumboots on and shovels in hand, students from Horotiu School got stuck in as they celebrated their ninth consecutive year of annual tree planting.
This past Wednesday, a group of 68 students headed to the Te Awa cycleway to plant 1,200 native seedlings into their new home.
With the guidance of Enviroschools and Trees for Survival, the students grew 600 of the seedlings themselves in the school's greenhouse.
From watering, weeding, and nurturing the young plants, they took responsibility for every stage of their care before proudly planting them alongside another 600 donated seedlings.
“It’s awesome seeing the students get stuck in and take real ownership of the planting,” said Waikato District Council Event Coordinator and parent I-Jay Huirama.
“A lot of these seedlings have been grown by them, so it’s pretty special for them to get them in the ground and see the result of all that hard work.”
Surrounded by support from our team at Waikato District Council, partners from Cushman & Wakefield and City Care, teachers, parents, and even a cheeky piiwakawaka (fantail) searching for a grub or two, the students put in the mahi.
By the end of the morning, they had planted all 1,200 seedlings before enjoying a well-earned sausage sizzle put on our local Police.
A huge shout out to everyone involved for another solid day of teamwork!
