MULBERRY GROVE SCHOOL
MULBERRY GROVE SCHOOL
AOTEA GREAT BARRIER ISLAND
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Kaitiakitanga ~ Enviroschool
Kaitiakitanga ~ Enviroschool
Mulberry Grove School is proud to be an Enviroschool. We are working towards achieving our Green-Gold accreditation. The children participate in a number of environmental initiatives as part of being an Enviroschool. These include gardening, rat trapping, the little blue penguin project, recycling, composting & a community food pantry. The children have participated in the Toitu te Ngahere: Art in Schools for Forest Health with Auckland University. We have large solar panels providing the school with much of its power and we catch rain water into our tanks, all part of living completely off-grid on a remote island. We integrate an environmental focus into many areas of our curriculum, teaching food resilience, kaitiatitanga, caring for our local environment, forests & waterways and the animals and creatures we share our home with.
We published a book!
We published a book!
Our clever children have published a lovely book in conjunction with the University of Auckland called Ngahere Ora, Exploring the Forest through Creative Arts .
Copies of our book can be purchased from the school or our local Art Gallery- Aotea Arts & History Village.
Our school is featured on the Food Resilience Aotea website for our awesome school gardens. You can check it out here:
Blue Nature Aotea ~ Mulberry Grove Penguin Project
Blue Nature Aotea ~ Mulberry Grove Penguin Project
Mulberry Grove Primary School is the first primary school pilot involving Blue penguins and new technologies. The Blue Nature Aotearoa Trust has a mission to restore ecosystems and create new biomass in oceans and coastal waterways through education, supporting and scaling social enterprises, new industries, and blue technology solutions. The aim of the penguin project is to improve our understanding of the Aotea Kororā population and explore how emerging technology and innovation in the marine space can contribute to conservation efforts. Professor John Cockrem, a Massey University lecturer and endocrinology specialist, joined the project, bringing his expertise as the species is a primary focus of his research. Professor Cockrem has specifically designed the nest boxes for Aotea that make it harder for predatory species to enter. These nest boxes were built by members of the local community using local resources. Three sites were researched and selected using local knowledge for the best chances of the penguins utilizing the nest boxes. In 2024 Professor Cockrem, Nikki Kaye, Ally Gibs, and the Mulberry Grove students and community laid the first 11 next boxes. The students keep track of and learn how to record environmental observations through conservation diaries. They acquire skills in class and put them into practice in their own backyards, gaining a new perspective on the environments around them. Through this, they are actively contributing to data collection of the Aotea Kororā population, identifying knowledge gaps and areas of improvement. Hands-on experiences with Professor Cockrem are one of the key ways the students benefit from Blue Nature Aotearoa, providing opportunities that are typically limited due to the geographically isolated nature of Great Barrier Island. Aligned with Blue Nature's purpose to 'inspire younger generations,' we provide students with resources to learn about and discover emerging technologies in New Zealand and around the world. This includes exposure to drones, artificial intelligence, and other technologies that students might not otherwise have access to. There are many future plans in the works for the Aotea Blue Penguin Project, so stay tuned.
Check out their website:
Mulberry Grove School is a proud Enviroschool!
Mulberry Grove School is a proud Enviroschool!
What are Enviroschools?
What are Enviroschools?
Enviroschools are schools and early childhood centres who commit to a long-term sustainability journey, where tamariki/students connect with and explore the environment, then plan, design and take action in their local places in collaboration with their communities. The Enviroschools kaupapa is about creating a healthy, peaceful, sustainable world through learning and taking action together.
Enviroschools is a learning framework
Enviroschools is a learning framework
Enviroschools is a national programme run by the Toimata Foundation based in Hamilton. It offers a rich learning framework for action to follow embedded with Māori perspectives.
The framework process can be used to help create a sustainability vision for the Enviroschool, to plan and take social and environmental actions, to collaborate on projects and to help integrate all aspects of an Enviroschool.
Enviroschools undertake their own pathway to be more sustainable with measurable signposts, recognised as Bronze, Silver and Green-Gold.
Resources and facilitation provided to support each Enviroschool are funded by Tasman District Council with support from the Toimata Foundation.
The bigger picture
The bigger picture
The overall aim of the Enviroschools Programme is to have generations of empowered citizens who think and act sustainably now and in the future.
The Enviroschools Programme encourages learning for purposeful actions that care for people and the environment. The process sets up students to be empowered as knowledgeable and inclusive leaders. When they are fully engaged in their learning and actions they easily transfer their passion to the wider community in a ripple effect.
Nau Mai ki Enviroschools
Nau Mai ki Enviroschools
Enviroschools is an environmental action based programme where young people are empowered to design and lead sustainability projects in their schools, neighbourhoods and country.
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