Te Kura O Take Kārara has celebrated a major environmental milestone just four years after first opening its doors. 

Staff and students gathered last Friday (December 1) to celebrate reaching ‘bronze’ with Enviroschools, an action-based programme where students design and lead sustainability projects.

“It feels great to be acknowledged for all the hard work that has been done together with students and staff over the last four years,” Te Kura O Take Kārara associate principal Daryl Gellatly said.

“It was the wish of our Establishment Board of Trustees to be a sustainable school and we are proud to have started this journey as well as all the positive relationships we have built along the way and the places we have explored in our environment.” 

Environmental initiatives at the school include the creation of their community food pantry, honey hives, vegetable gardens, fruit trees and native planting, among many others.

Wastebusters Wānaka-based Enviroschools Facilitator Damian Foster presented Te Kura O Take Kārara with its certification.

“As a result of this… they were able to share all the incredible mahi that they have been doing since the school opened and also come up with some really exciting next steps of what they would like to do next year and moving forward,” he said.

The Enviroschools programme is individualised for each school or participating group, which decides for themselves when they have reached the bronze, silver or green-gold level.

Damian said despite some of the students being quite young, they “were able to navigate what could be perceived as quite adult territory and they understood it completely”.

“They speak the language of sustainability really well.”

“We are using the expertise within our community to further sustainable experiences and learning for our tamariki. Going forward, we want to maintain and deepen the relationships we have and share our vision with our younger learners and hear their ideas.”

The school is already looking towards the future with exciting next steps planned, including getting chickens, a mud kitchen, expanding the bike track, and maximising the mara kai. 

The Enviroschools programme is delivered by Wastebusters and funded by Queenstown Lakes District Council. 

PHOTO: Orla O'Muiri