Totara principal Sandra Spekreijse said planting seeds, painting and identifying native plants was a holistic approach to enhance the school environment while learning new skills.
Fortnightly action projects with three groups of year 5-8 pupils, learning to cultivate seeds, plant and paint objects at the school were to inspire collaboration and a "sense of belonging", Mrs Spekreijse said.
"We are all individuals, but we make up a whole big family ... everyone contributes, that’s our philosophy. Each are taking different roles, every group rotates ... so everyone contributes."
It included two development sessions for pupils with their Enviroschools facilitators Chantal Barnes and Lucianne White. They had focused on what they had at the school and how to strengthen their resources.
"The pupils learnt things like how to make huts, or put markers on trees. It’s all about the younger and older kids all working together."
Mrs Spekreijse said they were working to get more native seedlings to plant on the school grounds.
This included an application for a waste minimisation grant and funding for a worm farm.
The pupils had been involved in painting a taniwha and dragon on a wall, mixing the Chinese heritage of the school with Māori traditions.
"We don’t have to look the same but we are all part of the school community," Mrs Spekreijse said.
Te Rūnanga O Moeraki Marae educational adviser Nola Tipa (Ngāi Tahu) had also been teaching Te ao Māori, along with Mrs Spekreijse, emphasising the link between nature and people.
"We will work to have more native birds and insects and we’ve applied for a fruit tree grant. Once the gardens are growing well enough we will look at garden to table and feeding the whole school whanau."
