Environmental Education Te Matau a Māui

04/09/2026

Voting has begun for Bird of Year!

Let this occasion spark learning about our precious and unique manu. 🦉

03/09/2026

Have you ever thought that learning outside of the classroom is too hard?

It's not! Your schools grounds are full of abundant ecosystems and therefore are a rich environment for nature connection and learning.

Today we took a class outside for a Bio Blitz at Twyford School. The only materials we used were hoops, magnifying glasses, and an insect ID book!

We found a rich diversity of insects, plants and fungi. The students honed in on their given spot and identified and counted the life found within their quadrat.

A piwakawaka flitted about, sparking a conversation about food chains and habitats.

Maths, reading and writing were incorporated within data collection sheets.

The students were full of questions and wonder.

This is Te Taio learning at its best. Simple, natural, student led and hands on. Sparking excitement, questions and wondering.

Ngā mihi to lead Kaiako Louise Parker for embracing this immersive learning.

01/09/2026

What has our Enviroschools Facilitator Helen been up to?

Here's a small selection of the schools she has been helping to deliver the Enviroschools kaupapa ako (programme) over the past few weeks.

A visit to the Kororā Sanctuary with Waimārama School led by Jay from Napier Port , a visit to Te Kauwae a Māui with the Kaitiaki Leaders at Hastings Intermediate with a tour by Amy from Cape Sanctuary native plant nursery and weeding around some rakau, a litter survey and audit with students from Marewa School, the brightening up of the Pātaka Kai at Haumoana School with the Enviro Group, and a visit to Sherwood School in Central Hawke's Bay whose Pātaka Kai needs no brightening up!

Next week she will begin to help judge the entries from the Schools Climate Change Challenge. 🌱

Te Taio learning and action never stops!



Ngā mihi to our dedicated Kaiako and Kura:

Hastings Intermediate
Marewa School
Haumoana School
Waimārama School
Sherwood School

12/08/2026

Enviroschools Facilitator Helen has been working with Waimārama School over the past few weeks to explore our coastal environments.

At Waimārama beach we started with a beach clean up, then a lesson on the dune ecosystem including talking about our endemic pīngao which is under threat from invasive marram grass. We also looked closely at the different kōhatu on the beach. This learning embraced the concept of turangawaewae, a sense of wāhi and interconnectedness with Te Taio.

Today we explored the rocky shore in Ahuriri Napier, and identified the unique marine life living there, then we visited the National Aquarium of New Zealand and Jay from Napier Port led us on a fantastic tour of the kororā sanctuary.

The students now have a kororā nesting box to paint. Thanks Jay!

This local learning is so valuable to connect students to a sense of place, to learn about our biodiversity, and the action we can all take to protect our taonga species.

Ngā mihi nui to kura whānau, Matua Tony, and Tumuaki Whaea Charlotte for your support of this fantastic learning outside of the classroom.

31/07/2026

Enviroschools Facilitator Helen was honoured to be invited to Marewa School to help judge their annual Garden to Plate competition, with students creating menus and making kai from their school and classroom māra.

Tumuaki Lisa should have been warned to skip breakfast when course after course of delicious kai was presented to the judging panel to sample and rate!

One class had a Samoan theme with taro chips and donuts and dragonfruit sorbet. Tino reka te kai! Delicious!

This competition involves planting seeds and seedlings, growing them to maturity, harvesting, reading recipes, creating dishes, cooking in a team and documenting and presenting the whole process.

The learning here runs deep: students are learning about food sovereignty, resilience, seasonality, team work and more.

Ngā mihi to Tumuaki Lisa Morton for supporting this school wide competition and Jennifer Whyman who came up with idea and helped with implementation.

Kau mau te wehi students and kaiako. 👏

27/07/2026

It's National Moth week! 🦋

Embrace the opportunity to teach your students about our amazing endemic moths.

Celebrating National Moth Week.
Moths and butterflies belong to the insect order Lepidoptera (from the Greek lepidos meaning "scale" and pteron meaning "wing").
Aotearoa New Zealand is home to more than 1,800 named species of moths and butterflies. While this is a relatively modest number compared with many other countries, what is significant is that around 90% of these species are endemic (only native to Aotearoa) and that moths make up the vast majority of our Lepidoptera, with butterflies accounting for only about 30 species (around 1.7% of the total).
You can play your own part in celebrating Aotearoa's amazing moths!
National Moth Week (18-26 July) is an annual, global event that invites people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in the mothing hobby, by sharing photos of moths they find for citizen science.
'Some moths turn out to be new to science entirely. Others are species that hadn't been seen in decades , sometimes more than a century, and were feared lost for good. Community photos help with both.'*
iNaturalist* is calling on everyone to capture some photos of moths and upload them onto iNaturalist's website https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/mothweek
Moths are vital ecological connectors, pollinating native plants, recycling nutrients, and providing food for birds, bats, reptiles, and countless other species.
Image: Pepetuna/ puriri moth (Aenetus virescens ) Aoteroa/ New Zealand's largest moth. JP Mower

07/07/2026

Helen and Heidi have received funding to offer our Predator Free Schools programme to 5 more schools from next term.

We are grateful for this funding from Biodiversity Hawke's Bay to normalise trapping in Schools. Ngā mihi nui.

📸 The 'Rat Team' from St Patrick's School managing their trap line.

Predator Free Napier Hill

03/07/2026

Helen was grateful to be asked to be a part of two Junior Landcare Days with Henry Hill School and Meeanee Schools and the Bupa Village organised by NZ Landcare Trust in May.

Learning in, about and for Te Taiao and taking action with this kind of hands on learning is what Enviroschools is all about.

Bupa Willowbank Village residents join forces with Meeanee and Henr...

30/06/2026

It's the first day of Plastic Free July

Your class can join thousands of people making a Pledge in a world record attempt for “The Most People Refusing Single-Use Plastic in One Day”.

Upload your pledge, and check out the resources for Plastic Free July while you're at it. Choose to Refuse Single Use Plastic this July!

"Take the Plastic Free July® Pledge and join millions reducing plastic waste. Start your plastic-free journey today."

29/06/2026

It's time to count our manu and contribute to this awesome annual Citizen Science project!