On Wednesday the 6th of September, Seven representatives of the Eco Action Nursery Trust (EANT) attended the Christchurch City Council meeting to update the council on the significant progress this year.

The EANT representatives came from a range of students from Christ's College, Rangi Ruru, St Margaret’s College, Shirley Boys' High School and Christchurch Girls’ High School / Te Kura o Hine Waiora along with the Chair David Newton and Mrs Kate Rivers from Rangi Ruru.

Alongside sharing the amazing progress the trust has made planting native trees in the Red Zone, the group was able to share their personal stories and experiences of participating in the process of seed to tree in response to the councillors questions.

As a whole, the experience was a great learning opportunity for the students to see how the local council works as well as getting to meet some of the influential people making the decisions in our community.

Going into 2024, it would be great to see more Christchurch Girls’ High School / Te Kura o Hine Waiora  students involved in opportunities like this and the potting sessions and planting days with the other schools involved in eco-action.

EANT also had the opportunity to present to the Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood Community Board in New Brighton. On the Monday, 11th of September. Along with Tinura Gajamange, Ollie du Toit (Christ’s College), Katherine Babington (SMC), Jess Glass and Catherine Vogt (Rangi Ruru), Silas Freeman and Ethan Baker (SBHS), Rory Gordan and I from Christchurch Girls' High School / Te Kura o Hine Waiora went to the presentation.

 Each person was given the chance to say their name, school and speak briefly about Eco Action to the Community Board. We were given seven minutes in total to present to the council so we had to be quick! The councillors were very pleased with the presentation and we received many positive comments.

The Eco Action Nursery Trust grows and plants native trees to create a habitat for native species to return to the Christchurch City Centre. This also decreases carbon dioxide emissions, helping to tackle the climate emergency. Along with the Trust, students from 26 schools and 2 community groups are involved in this amazing organisation. In 2023, the Trust organised 30,000 native trees to be planted by students and their families. In 2024, the Trust aims to plant 64,000 trees.

I have  enjoyed being part of Eco Action. It has allowed me to learn some valuable skills about horticulture and develop a greater appreciation for the environment. Often, as young people hearing about the climate emergency and the effects of global warming on our planet, we are at a loss as to what to do.

Getting involved in Eco Action is a great way to combat the climate crisis and give back to the community. Being a part of the council presentation was also an interesting experience and I have learned some new things about how our local government works.

Sayu Weerasinghe 10ONJ and Rory Gordon 12PNV