For the first time this year, the school has partnered with the Eco-Action Nursery Trust to set up and operate a satellite nursery on the school grounds.

The trust kindly donated 500 native seedlings, watering equipment, and materials like potting mix and weed mats for the potting up of the plants, which will be planted out in the Red-Zone next year.

Student volunteers from the Environment Committee, Geography and Science classes, and some that just wanted to try their hand at gardening and help out the school potted up the plants over the course of terms two and three. Some of the plant species that make an appearance in the nursery this year are akeake, cabbage tree, pittosporum tenuifolium, coprosma, and more. The seedlings are sourced from Travis Wetlands and chosen specifically to provide year-around food for New Zealand birds.

With more than ten other schools involved, the aim of the trust is to form a ‘green spine’ from the sea to the city, attracting populations of wax-eyes, bellbirds, tui, kereru and others and allowing them to flourish. There were four community tree plantings in and around the QEII area this year that many of our students and their friends and families attended to try out their planting skills, and it was fantastic to see the numbers increase as time went by.

The school is extremely excited to be involved with such an amazing project that will change the nature of our city.

Poipoia te kākano kia puawai - nurture the seed, and it will blossom.