Planting tussocks around the turbines at the Mahinerangi Wind Farm has boosted the coffers at Lee Stream School.
Trustpower offered the school a fundraising activity, to help regenerate the native tussock population around the wind turbines, on the northern side of Lake Mahinerangi, about 50km west of Dunedin.
Recently, 11 staff from Landcorp's Waipori Station, including manager Dave Vaughan and his wife, Hayley, whose daughter, Becky, is a pupil at the school, were joined by three Trustpower staff, school principal Kim Allan and six senior pupils, some parents, and two Otago rugby players.
It took them more than five hours to divide and replant tussocks around the turbines and, in return, Trustpower gave the school $5000. Some of that money has already been invested in an aural reading programme.