increase font size
Oropi School was a recipient of Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s School Sustainability and Resilience Fund.
A Bay of Plenty school will be able to keep its fruit and veg plants hydrated with the help of a new rainwater tank.
Oropi School was a recipient of Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s School Sustainability and Resilience Fund which has allowed it to install a 1,600-litre rainwater tank so they can water their gardens over the summer months, even out of school hours and through the school holidays.
The rural school runs a garden to table program where the students learn to grow their own food, harvest it, and then use it to cook meals together.
However, up until the installation of the rainwater tank, students have not been able to plant in the garden greenhouse because of a lack of water supply to it.
Oropi School principal Andrew King says support from the fund enabled them to install the rainwater tank in December, a move which has helped to alleviate water issues during the summer months.
The new tank has meant the school could set up an irrigation system, with the greenhouse being self-sufficient. It also meant there was no risk of draining the school’s boar.
King says the garden to table sessions have been invaluable to students today.
“In the 90s there was a big push for pupils to be using computers and learn that technology,” he says.
“Today, our children need to get back in touch with nature and the environment, with hands-on learning – these sessions foster that.
“Learning about the needs of the modern world and how to connect to the land because more and more children are living on smaller sections and don’t have the opportunities or space at home,” King says.
The School Sustainability and Resilience Fund is designed to support schools and early childhood education centres to carry out sustainability projects and prepare for the impacts of climate change and natural hazards.
The 2023 fund is still open for applications for schools and early childhood centres to apply for their share of $35,000.
Applications close for the School Sustainability and Resilience Fund 2023 on Friday, 31 March.
For more information on the fund and application forms, head to www.boprc.govt.nz/sustainability-resilience-fund
Science is pivotal to driving progress and unlocking opportunity and innovation in the ag sector, says DairyNZ chief executive and chair of the Agribusiness in Schools programme, Campbell Parker.
OPINION: Last week, Education Minister Erica Stanford sent a clear, but troubling message to New Zealand’s students: if you’re academically ambitious, agriculture might not be for you.
Public backlash has forced the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Education Minister Erica Stanford to do a U-turn on a proposal to axe agriculture and horticulture science as standalone subjects in the secondary school curriculum.
There's been unprecedented demand from secondary school students across the country to study agricultural related subjects.
OPINION: Your old mate gets the sinking feeling that no matter who we vote into power in the hope they will reverse the terminal slide the country is in, there will always be a cohort of naysayers determined to hold us back.
According to ASB, Fonterra's plan to sell it's Anchor and Mainlands brands could inject $4.5 billion in additional spending into the economy.
New Zealand’s trade with the European Union has jumped $2 billion since a free trade deal entered into force in May last year.
The climate of uncertainty and market fragmentation that currently characterises the global economy suggests that many of the European agricultural machinery manufacturers will be looking for new markets.
Dignitaries from all walks of life – the governor general, politicians past and present, Maoridom- including the Maori Queen, church leaders, the primary sector and family and friends packed Our Lady of Kapiti’s Catholic church in Paraparaumu on Thursday October 23 to pay tribute to former prime Minister, Jim Bolger who died last week.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Todd McClay is encouraging farmers, growers, and foresters not to take unnecessary risks, asking that they heed weather warnings today.
With nearly two million underutilised dairy calves born annually and the beef price outlook strong, New Zealand’s opportunity to build a scalable dairy-beef system is now.
