Tread Lightly Caravan

29/07/2026

What a fantastic two days at South Auckland Middle School!

It was awesome to see students getting hands-on with environmental learning and discovering how small actions can make a big difference for te taiao🌿

Over the two days, students:
⚡ Generated electricity using our hand crank and power bike
🔬 Took a closer look at worms and wētā under the microscope
🥽 Experienced where stormwater goes through our VR activity
🌏 Calculated their environmental footprint
♻️ Explored where our waste goes and how we can reduce it

Before leaving the caravan, each student made a pledge to take one positive action for the environment. Whether it's packing a waste-free lunch, picking up litter, saving water or recycling right, every small step helps create a healthier future for our communities.

A huge thank you to the staff and students at South Auckland Middle School for your warm welcome, thoughtful questions and enthusiasm. We hope the conversations continue at home and inspire even more everyday actions to care for our environment 💚

Want to bring the Tread Lightly Caravan to your school? Click the link in bio to find out how we can inspire your students through fun, hands-on environmental learning!

21/07/2026

We love this simple idea from Kaipātiki Project 💚

The challenge is an easy way for everyone to help care for te taiao. Pick up just 10 pieces of litter while you're out walking, at the park, or on the way to school before 10am. It only takes a few minutes, but together those small actions add up.

The Kaipātiki Project team collected an incredible 250 pieces of litter 👏 Imagine the difference we could make if more communities across Auckland joined in

Who's keen to give the challenge a go this week? Let us know how many pieces your whānau collects! 🌿

20/07/2026

🥪 The Term 3 Lunchbox Challenge starts today!

Welcome back to school! We hope you had a great break and are ready for an exciting Term 3 🎉 To celebrate the start of a new term, we're challenging tamariki and their whānau to pack a litter free lunch. With Plastic Free July still underway, it's the perfect time to build simple habits that help reduce waste, both at school and at home. You don't have to change everything at once. Start with one simple swap today and build from there.

Here are a few easy ideas:
🥪 Pack sandwiches in a reusable container or beeswax wrap.
🥣 Portion yoghurt into a reusable container instead of buying single-serve pottles.
🥨 Buy snacks in larger packs and divide them into reusable containers.
🍪 Bake homemade treats to reduce packaging.
🍎 Choose fresh fruit and veggies instead of individually wrapped snacks.

Every wrapper we avoid is one less piece of plastic that could end up in our streets, waterways or the moana 🚮

💚 This week's challenge: Pack one litter free lunch. Already doing that? Challenge yourself to make it two, three, or even every day this week!

Share a photo of your lunchbox and tell us your favourite litter free lunch tip. Let's inspire each other to tread lightly this term 💙

16/07/2026

Our team will be hosting a Recycle Right Workshop at the Pukekohe Library tomorrow!♻️

Ever got confused about what goes in your recycle bin? Our friendly educators will help you suss out the bins and share how to get rid of hard to recycle items responsibly. This workshop is open to all ages and knowledge levels 💚

📍Pukekohe Library, 12 Massey Avenue
🕘 10:30am – 11:30am
📅 Saturday 18 July

We look forward to seeing you there!

13/07/2026

🌏 How many squares can you tick off this Plastic Free July?

Taking part in Plastic Free July doesn't have to mean making big changes overnight. It starts with one simple action.

We've created this Plastic Free Bingo to help tamariki and whānau make easy swaps that reduce single-use plastic and waste. Whether it's packing a plastic free lunch, borrowing instead of buying, or remembering your reusable shopping bag, every action makes a difference.

Challenge yourself to complete a row, a column, or even the whole board by the end of July.

Download a copy using the link in bio, pick up a printed copy from the Manurewa Community Recycling Centre & Reuse Store or save this post, and give it a go with your whānau!

Be sure to let us know how many squares you can tick off! 💚

12/07/2026

🌧️ When it rains, where does litter go?

Students at Jean Batten School have the answer. After a visit from the Tread Lightly Caravan last term, they created this display to remind everyone that litter left on our streets can wash into stormwater drains and end up in our awa and moana. It's great to see tamariki taking what they've learnt and turning it into action that inspires others.

Small actions, like putting rubbish in the bin and keeping stormwater drains clear, can make a big difference for our environment 💙🌏

Interested in bringing the Tread Lightly Caravan to your school? We only have 6 weeks available to book in Term 4! Get in touch and let's inspire your learners to tread lightly 🌿

08/07/2026

Our team will be at the Manurewa Community Network Expo next week!

📍Te Paataka Koorero o Waimaahia
Clendon Library, 17 Palmers Road
🕘 10:00am – 2:00pm
📅 Thursday 16 July

Come connect, discover, and be supported at this free community expo. With 30+ providers from across Manurewa, you can't miss this!

Titiro Whakamuri, Kōkiri Whakamua
ONLY 1 day to go! Manurewa Community Network Expo: Come and connect, discover, and be supported at our free community expo on the second Thursday of the school holidays!
With 30+ providers from across Manurewa, you can't miss this!

Thursday 16 July 2026
10am – 2pm
Te Paataka Koorero o Waimaahia
Te Matariki Clendon Library, 17 Palmers Road

What to expect:
* Information and support from a wide range of providers
* Workshops presented by local leaders and organisations
* Free barber cuts by Groove Kuttz Academy
* Soup & sausage sizzle

Sectors represented: (see full list of exhibitors below)
* Health & Wellness
* Disability Support
* Wrap-around Services

Workshops include:
* The Pride Project – Badges for te reo
* Middlemore Foundation
* AUT Dietician – Health information
* Manurewa Recreation Centre – What’s happening in our community

Exhibitors at Titiro Whakamuri Kōkiri Whakamua
Anglican Trust for Women and Children, Animal Management – Community Partnerships and Engagement Team, Healthy Homes, Barnardos Aotearoa, The Cause Collective, Commerce Commission, Manukau Bowel Cancer Screening, Disability Connect, NZ – Electoral Team, , Support Northern, Failoa Famili, -CAN – Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Care Action Network, Geneva Healthcare, Groove Kuttz, Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities Kaikaranga Disability NASC, Manurewa Local Board, Manurewa Marae, Maranga Fanau Charitable Trust, Energy, Middlemore Foundation, Oncology Nutrition Guideline Development, Consulting Limited, Plunket Manurewa - Poutokomanawa, Sexual Wellbeing, Solomon Group NZ, Te Awa Ora Trust, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, The Pride Project Aotearoa HQ, Lightly trust, Utilities Disputes, Vaiola P.I. Budgeting Service Trust

This is a fantastic opportunity to meet local organisations, learn about support available, and connect with your community. Hosted by Community Network
Funded by Manurewa Local Board.

All whānau are warmly welcome
See you there!

06/07/2026

Every Tread Lightly session ends with a promise 🌏 After learning about waste, pollution, climate change and how our everyday choices affect te taiao, students make a personal pledge to take action at home with their whānau.

With Plastic Free July now underway, there's no better time to put those pledges into action. Whether it's choosing a reusable drink bottle, saying no to single-use plastic bags, or finding new ways to reduce, reuse and recycle at home, every small action adds up ♻️

What will your pledge be this July?

Share your Plastic Free July goal in the comments and inspire others to tread lightly 💚

06/07/2026

A huge thank you to our incredible funders and sponsors who make the Tread Lightly Caravan possible! 💚

Term 2 has been all about empowering tamariki through environmental education🌿🌏 From a field trip with students from three schools to the Auckland Botanic Gardens, countless community activations, and our mobile environmental classroom delivering interactive and impactful learning to 2,103 students from 8 schools across Tāmaki Makaurau, it was a busy but rewarding term!

This success wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of our funders and sponsors: Foundation North, Lotto NZ, Auckland Council, Hynds, The Packaging Forum, Purex, Re.group, The Jenkins Foundation, Auckland Airport Community Trust, ANZ New Zealand Staff Foundation, Canon New Zealand, Kings Plant Barn, Essity 💚

Thank you for believing in our mission and helping us grow the next generation of environmental heroes!

02/07/2026

Not sure where to recycle your caps, lids and soft plastics? You can now drop these off at the Pukekohe Library for collection! 🎉
✅ plastic bottle lids and caps
✅ metal bottle, tin and jar lids
✅ soft plastics

Handy tip! Anything made of soft plastic can be scrunched into a ball.

Before dropping off your items please make sure they are clean, dry and empty so they can be correctly recycled ♻️ Let's together!