Enviroaction
Education for Sustainability Newsletter
Bee Aware this
September
Honeybees provide us with much of the food we eat
through pollination yet they are disappearing due to
factors like disease, pesticide use and habitat loss.
In this issue:
Issue 14 2016
• Pest plant search tool
p2
• Harakeke weaving
programme
p3
• 30 day waste challenges p5
• Focus on Albert-Eden
• Resources p7
• Key dates
p8
p6
September is Bee Awareness Month and one way to
help bees is planting bee-friendly gardens to provide
nectar and pollen.
EcoMatters Environmental Trust in New Lynn has done
just this in their community garden. “We want to raise
awareness of the challenges that bees face and what
they do for us,” says Meg Liptrot, co-manager of
EcoMatters Visitors Centre.
Meg recommends planting blue and purple flowers
like sage, borage, salvia, lavender and, rosemary.
Bees also love blossoming fruit trees, sunflowers,
manuka and old rose varieties which have a simple,
open flower and good scent.
Try planting species that flower all year round,
and avoid pesticide use. Control weeds by hand when
possible, and if spraying herbicides, spray in the early
morning or evening when bees are not active.
Honey and beeswax are also amazing products.
Honey is healthy and delicious and beeswax can be
made into candles, crayons, shoe polish and even
reusable lunch wrap. On page 4 we show you how
you can make your own.
Explore your school to find a suitable sunny spot
for your own garden and you could visit EcoMatters
or a local beekeeper for more ideas and information
about bees.
The resource section includes more bee related links
and resources.
Arahoe School visiting the EcoMatters Community Garden.
Photo credit: Meg Liptrot.
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Kia ora tātou
July is New Zealand Biosecurity Month and it is the
perfect time to celebrate our special native plants
and animals and learn more about some of the
biosecurity threats they face.
The theme for Biosecurity Month this year is
‘Emerging Threats in Diverging Communities.’ Visit
biosecurity.org.nz/useful-links/biosecurity-month
for more information.
Unfortunately, New Zealand has lots of pest animals such
as rats, possums and stoats, weeds like moth plant, ginger
and privet and diseases such as kauri dieback disease.
We hope this edition provides you with some rich
teaching and learning opportunities for your students.
These all threaten our precious native animals, birds and
plants, including kiwi, tuatara, wētā, bats and kauri trees.
Pests can even impact commercial crops like kiwifruit,
damage our farmland and invade our marine environments.
Ngā mihi nui,
Education for Sustainability team
Auckland Council
enviro
actiON
2016 Weedbusters film challenge
The challenge is on for groups of Year 1-8 students
to create a short clip (up to two minutes long) about
ornamental garden plants which have ‘jumped the fence’
and the environmental damage they are causing
in New Zealand.
Find out more: weedbusters.org.nz
theoutlookforsomeday.net
This is your chance to tell the story about weeds in your
local area or school, feature the efforts of a local community
weeding group or alternatively raise awareness of particular
weed species. You could create a video, play, narrated
PowerPoint, rap or a documentary. The prize is $1000
for your school.
By signing up for the challenge you will be put in touch
with local weed experts and groups and be sent regular
updates to help your students complete the challenge.
Competition closes 1 October 2016
and runs annually.
You could also enter your
weedbuster entry into the
Outlook for Someday
sustainable film challenge.
2012 winners: Cornwall Park District School with Woody Weed.
New pest plant search tool
Right now, weeds might not be growing much, but what
you can do is plan your control for the coming spring and
summer. Get out in the garden and identify what weeds
you have, and then find out the best methods and
seasons to control them at your location.
2
For advice on how and when to control environmental
weeds, check out Auckland Council’s new Pest Plant
Search tool at pestplants.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.
Here you can learn what these weeds look like,
the impact they have on our native environment,
and how to deal with them.
Communities working together for the environment
Trees for Survival (TfS) is an environmental education
programme which involves children growing and planting
native trees to restore natural habitats. This is done by
helping landowners revegetate erosion prone land, improve
stream flow and water quality, and increase biodiversity.
A fantastic example of the programme supporting
community groups to achieve environmental outcomes
can be seen on a site in the Leigh Harbour Catchment,
70km north of Auckland.
The Leigh Harbour Valley Society (LHVS), established in
2009, has undertaken a variety of planting, weeding and
predator control projects in the centre of the catchment
which is mostly regenerating coastal forest with farmland
on the margins. One of the first projects, which began in
2011, involved society members fencing and spraying the
site in preparation for riparian (streamside) planting.
The site in 2011.
To support the project Ponsonby Primary School in
conjunction with TfS grew a wide variety of native
seedlings in their school nursery. In collaboration with
the TfS coordinator, Rotary and the Leigh Harbour Valley
Society the school carried out a planting day at the site
where they successfully planted 640 trees.
The Society members over the years have followed up
with regular weeding to help keep the kikuyu and various
other weeds at bay.
Richard Taylor, a member of the Leigh Harbour Valley
Society, has captured a wonderful record of how the site
has changed over time from the start of the project to
the present day. The site is fenced, the plants are
well-established and importantly the stream now runs
cleaner to Leigh Harbour.
Find out more: tfsnz.org.nz
Same site present day.
Harakeke weaving and cultivation programme
During Term 3 the Learning Through Experience (LTE)
team at the Auckland Botanic Gardens will offer a
hands-on education programme for Year 5-8 children
to learn about the uses of flax (harakeke) and the
tradition of weaving.
Making connections with Māori culture they will learn
protocols for harvesting and weaving harakeke under
the guidance of local kuia before weaving their own fish
and flower flax sculptures. The programme also involves
cultivating their own harakeke plant to take home.
Programme dates 25 July - 5 August.
Maximum of two classes per day.
Cost: $6 per student (full day).
For more information: Contact Susie Bettany 890 8647
or email [email protected]
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ACTION STATION
Avoid plastic wrap
Beeswax food wraps are gaining popularity with schools
and Early Childhood Centres (ECE’s) as they are an
eco-friendly, reusable, effective way to keep food fresh
and avoid using plastic wrap. Create your own using
these easy steps.
You will need the following:
• Cotton fabric squares
• Beeswax pellets found in health food stores,
a beekeeper supplier or online
• Large baking tray
• Paintbrush
• Tinfoil or baking paper to line the tray and prevent
wax dripping onto it or your oven.
Instructions
To make the wraps, cut your fabric squares to your
desired size. You could trial a range of sizes including
15cm x 15cm up to 30cm x 30cm.
Lay fabric on a lined baking tray and sprinkle over
your beeswax pellets evenly. Put tray into a mild
oven at 100°C until wax is melted.
Once melted into liquid remove the tray from the oven
and use the paintbrush to evenly spread the wax into
the fabric. The fabric will look wet. Immediately take
the fabric off the baking sheet. If you leave the fabric to
cool down it will stick to the tin foil or the beeswax will
become clumpy.
Peg them on the clothes line to dry. The wax will be dry
in a matter of minutes. To wash simply rinse in warm
soapy water (a dishwasher gets too hot) and you can
reuse them again and again.
Titirangi Kindergarten children used an iron as an alternative to an oven
to melt the wax.
Create a class of Habitat Heroes
During Conservation Week 10-18 September the
Department of Conservation (DOC) is encouraging
your students to be Habitat Heroes by exploring a local
environment and identifying an opportunity to take
action. Four lucky groups will then win $750 to help
bring their conservation action plan to life.
4
Visit doc.govt.nz/habitatheroes for more
information, supporting education resources
and to register for the competition.
WORD ON WASTE
Waste minimisation made easy
Jennifer Sampson, a member of the Waste Minimisation
Schools team, shares her tips based on the 5 R’s - Rot,
Refuse, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
When I started in this role I also began to reduce our
waste at home. Being a wife and mother of a two year
old meant I needed to get my family on board. Start off
small and don’t take on too much at once - this is difficult
to maintain. These are easy actions that work at home
and in schools.
Sorting waste - Make sorting your waste a game.
Go through the rubbish bin and sort items that don’t
need to be there. Ask, could this item be reused or
recycled? Have the children make a chart about these
items and put it near the rubbish bin. The Recycling
Search at makethemostofwaste.co.nz is a good tool
for checking what can and cannot be recycled.
Food waste – A worm farm is an instant hit with children.
While you feed the worms there are opportunities to talk
about what worms like and don’t like to eat, how they
help things grow in the garden and how it saves food
scraps ending up in the rubbish bin.
Waste free lunches - Encourage the use of refillable
drink bottles and segmented lunch boxes to reduce
packaging. At school, use these as special prizes for
principal awards. Making them special means everyone
will want one. Involve your children in cooking and
baking to help them fill their lunch boxes.
Books and clothes - Older children could organise a
book or clothing swap to promote reusing. For younger
children, let them help sort their old clothes, toys
and books and donate to a local op shop or charity.
Teach them that another child will now get a turn
to use them.
30 day waste minimisation challenges
Need a challenge to get you started or take your
waste minimisation actions to the next level?
Visy Recycling Education Centre in Onehunga
Contact Greer Larsen-Compton on 09 975 2003.
Make one of the following pledges for the next 30 days:
Find out more: aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Look for the Environment and Waste tab
and click on ‘Rubbish and Recycling’
and then ‘Waste Education Programmes.’
• Say no to plastic bags for one month
• Discover your local op shops and not buy anything new
• Take your own reusable container whenever
you order take-out
• Make your own soap – there are many recipes
available online
• Take a field trip to learn more about the
waste stream.
The Zero Waste Zone at the Waitākere Refuse
Transfer Station in Henderson.
Contact [email protected]
5
GETTING TO KNOW OUR PLACES
Focus on Albert-Eden
The Albert-Eden Local Board suburbs include Mt Albert,
Mt Eden, Pt Chevalier, Waterview, Kingsland, Ōwairaka,
Sandringham, Morningside, Balmoral, Epsom
and Greenlane.
The Albert-Eden area is rich in Māori history. Mt Eden
is traditionally known as Maungawhau, meaning the
‘Mountain of the Whau Tree’ – a lightweight timber
used by Māori for net floats. Mt Albert was traditionally
known as Te Ahi Kāroa o Raka, meaning the long burning
fires of Rakataura – the tohunga or high priest of the
Tainui canoe. For Māori, the significance of burning
fires represented continued occupation, or the keeping
of the home fires. It is more commonly known today
as Ōwairaka (the waters of Raka) to some and as
Wairaka a Mātaatua (canoe ancestress) to others.
Mt Saint John is traditionally known as Te Kōpuke
meaning ‘the prominent mound’. It was once a fortified
pā and today remnants of occupation, such as terracing
and kūmara pits, are still visible.
The Albert-Eden Local Board is currently providing
support of up to $1000 to champion neighbourhood
environmental projects that improve environmental
or ecological impact within the Albert-Eden Local Board
areas of Kingsland, Sandringham, Morningside,
Ōwairaka, Mt Albert and Pt Chevalier.
Visit econeighbourhoods.org for more information.
Notable events in the area include Love Your Maunga,
Big Gay Out and the Albert-Eden Business Awards,
held for the very first time this year. Recently Waterview
Reserve has been upgraded ultilising the imagination
of Waterview children so the park now has interactive
water play elements, a playground waka and
a fale-inspired shade.
To find out more about what’s happening in the
Albert-Eden Local Board area visit:
facebook.com/alberteden
Spotlight on climate change
The Royal Society of New Zealand has recently
released two reports: Climate Change Implications for
New Zealand and Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy
for New Zealand.
The former report shows New Zealand is being affected
by climate change and impacts are set to increase in
magnitude and extent over time. Floods, storms, droughts
and fires will become more frequent unless significant
action is taken to reduce global emissions of greenhouse
gases, which are changing the climate.
The latter report communicates a feeling of optimism
that there are opportunities across a range of sectors
to mitigate climate change and help us
transition towards a low-carbon economy.
6
As part of the reports a series of infographics have been
developed which are useful teaching and learning tools.
These include infographics on the six key risks for New
Zealand covering topics such as coasts, flooding and our
oceans. Another infographic covers the actions we can
take now as individuals, businesses, central
and local governments.
Find out more:
royalsociety.org.nz
and click on the
‘Expert Advice’ tab
then ‘Climate change
implications for
New Zealand’.
RESOURCES
Whio Forever
Enviroteach
Whio Forever is an integrated curriculum teaching
resource with the whio/blue duck as the real life
context for learning. These unique birds are endemic
to New Zealand and one of only four whitewater ducks
in the world. The resource covers multiple learning areas
of the New Zealand Curriculum. It has been developed
for primary school (Years 1-8) teachers.
The Enviroteach magazine is an environmental
education resource for teachers produced quarterly
by Environmental Southland.
The resource contains teaching and learning
material to support a unit of work based on whio.
It incorporates aspects of Te Ao Māori
(a Māori worldview).
The unit is based on an
inquiry learning process,
including student-centred,
constructivist pedagogy.
The Term 2 -2016 Issue is a great resource for
teachers and communities embarking on planting
projects. All steps in the planting process are covered
from planning, preparing the site, to running the
planting day and follow-up maintenance advice.
A resource section of useful publications
and websites is included in the issue.
Visit: es.govt.nz and
search for ‘Enviroteach’
to download a digital
version of the newsletter.
Download either the
Junior Primary (Y1-Y4)
or Senior Primary (Y5-Y8)
resource at doc.govt.nz/education-whio
Digital links to CHALLENGE our thinking about sustainability
• Laura Zonnevyle, Laura Crossan and Alice Bird
Open your eyes, 2014 winning film:
theoutlookforsomeday.net
• Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, Speech to UN Climate
Leaders Summit in 2014: youtube.com
• Vanessa Kurarangi,
Sorry, Poem for the Living Wage Campaign:
livingwage.org.nz
• Laura Singer, Why I live a wastefree life, TEDxTeen:
ted.com
Useful links for teaching and learning about bees
EcoMatters Environmental Trust: ecomatters.org.nz
The Bee Lady: facebook.com/TheBeeLadyNZ
Trees for Bees: Smart planting for healthy bees: treesforbees.org.nz
Wild Forage blog: wildforage.co.nz
Planting for pollination page: aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Click on ‘Environment and Waste’ tab then ‘Biodiversity’ and look under ‘How you can help’ section.
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DATES TO DIARY
Date
Event
Description and website
July/August/
September
Applications for Science
Teaching Leadership
Programme open
The purpose of the STLP is to support the development
of effective science teaching in schools. It is a full
school or science department initiative that requires
a commitment from the school to prioritise science
as a key development area.
royalsociety.org.nz/stlp
Bee Awareness Month
Term 3
September
Bee Awareness Month aims to raise awareness of bee
health. The month highlights the importance bees play
in helping us live a sustainable life, and the role they
play in NZ exports and agriculture.
2015 event page: facebook.com/pages/Bee-AwareMonth/155550234605563
9 September
Outlook for Someday
sustainable film
challenge closes
The challenge is on for Y7-Y13 students to make
a short film about sustainability. From July-August a
series of free film-making workshops will take place
across the region.
theoutlookforsomeday.net
10-18
September
Conservation Week
The 2016 theme is Healthy Nature, Healthy People.
Get involved:
doc.govt.nz/news/events/conservation-week
Biodiversity in the Auckland region
The Biodiversity team at Auckland Council regularly
profiles a wide range of biodiversity projects and events
happening across the Auckland region.
We encourage you to visit and like their page
via the following link:
facebook.com/aklbiodiversity
p
Event coming u
Survey
2016 Garden Bird
-Sunday 3 July
Saturday 25 June
search.co.nz
Visit landcarere
get involved.
to find out how to
FIND OUT MORE:
Check out the website aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/educationforsustainability