Working together!

Mahana School won the "Together we succeed award" for the school that proves working together gets results.

The hut was a true community effort with parents, local businesses, community groups, staff and students all pitching in to support the EcoHut project with donations of time, labour and materials.  It was an inspirational effort that highlights the value of communities working together and supporting each other.

"I though they made good use of local materials such as Woolaston Estate wine bottles and clay from the Ruby Bay bypass.”

"It was neat that there was a clay house in the same spot many years ago (in reference to a cobb hut that once existed on the same site)"

Growing their own EcoHut!

 Ngatimoti School picked up "The Green Inside and Out Award" as it was  recognised as the EcoHut closest to nature.

 Ngatimoti School had a great idea that instead of building a hut, they would  grow one. Unfortunately the timing wasn't great and their living hut didn't survive  the summer but the children showed great perseverance and a positive  attitude and are keen to try again in winter when the  climate is better suited to  growing a willow hut.

 "When it's finished it will blend in with its surroundings"
 "The hut is renewable in every way"
 "I thought it was very creative "

Grab your duvet this is one five-star hut!

Salsibury School won the "I could live here award" - For the most comfortable, well-built EcoHut!

This solidly constructed hut has everything you'd need for a relaxing break!
It has been built from donated macrocarpa timber and designed to resemble a back country hut, complete with a bed and a sink with a rain water and grey water collection system.

It will be an asset for the school for many years to come and is a tribute to all those who worked on it over the last year - of which there are many.

"I like the curtains and hand painted duvet, it's their own personal touch"
"They have used the space wisely"
"I like the lizards and how they took glass off the beach to decorate the outside area"

160 ideas woven into one EcoHut!

Nayland Primary won the "Best laid plans award" - For the school that excelled in planning and preparation when creating their EcoHut

Nayland Primary School had a highly collaborative approach to creating their EcoHut when 160 students undertook initial research about what an ecological building might look like, and created their own design.

The Whare Tikawa team then worked together to agree on their favourite features and come up with a final plan.
Architects, builders, resource consent people were all consulted along the way. The end result is an original, well-built, child-friendly EcoHut and is a structure that the children of Nayland Primary School will play in and enjoy for years to come!

"Great story board to record what they had done" “I like the chickens that live under the EcoHut. They are named after the Principals of the School”

Amazing progress on their sustainability journey!

Dovedale School has been involved with the Enviroschools programme for nearly two years. In that time the whole school has made considerable progress on their journey towards becoming a sustainable learning environment.

The school is involved with a number of sustainable initiatives. One major focus area is reducing waste and students’ have designed their own waste-free lunch boxes and have focus days where recognition is given to those who are making efforts to reduce their waste. They recycle and re-use wherever possible and turn any food scraps into compost to add to their productive edible gardens. They are actively encouraging their local community to be involved and regularly include tips on waste reduction in their school newsletters.

Recently the whole school have been working on the paperwork side of maintaining an EE focus within the school. The Envirogroup decided that they needed something to focus everyone in the school on the direction they wanted to take. A care code was the perfect solution. The group explored care codes from other schools to see what might work for them and then brainstormed all of the features they would like to include. The idea of an acrostic care code appealed to everyone so they went about creating three different codes, each with a slightly different focus. Each code was then presented to the whole school and students, teachers and parents voted for the one they preferred. This then became the Dovedale School Care Code and is on display throughout the school, so everyone is clear what they are working towards.

The teaching staff have been inspired by the impact of the care code and have started to work on writing their own vision statement, which they will share with the school community once they have finished. Environmental Education is given status within the school and is included in the strategic goals and planning documents. All of this helps to provide a stable structure on which to base a sound and sustainable EE programme.