Pat Kelly Enviroschools Action Fund recipients announced for 2022

Horizons Regional Council has awarded 23 grants to Enviroschools for environmental and sustainability projects for 2022.

The Pat Kelly Enviroschools Action Fund, formally the Enviroschools Action Fund, was renamed at the end of 2019 in memory of former Horizons Councillor Pat Kelly who was a huge advocate for the programme. This fund supports sustainability projects from Enviroschools in the Manawatū – Whanganui Region.

“Horizons senior environmental educator Sarah Williams say council received 23 applications, seeking a total of just under $20,000.”

“All of the applications meet the eligibility criteria and full allocation of funding has been shared across the projects, covering most districts in the region” says Mrs Williams.

“This is the fourth year Horizons has offered this funding. Each year we see an increase in the number of schools and centres participating in the Enviroschools programme, and we recognise the value of having funding available to support these projects.”

“Sometimes just a small amount of money is all it takes to kick a project off.”

“With the increase in Enviroschools we have increased the amount of funding available from $13,000 to $20,000 this year to reflect this growth.”

“Popular projects tend to be linked with food sustainability, that typically includes the community, creation of vegetable gardens, purchasing of tunnel houses, planting of fruit trees and water tanks featuring high on the list of desired projects”

The 2022 funding has been awarded to:

• Shannon School (Horowhenua) – Kai for Ka Ora, Ka Ako - growing vegetables for use in Healthy School Lunches programme
• Opiki School (Horowhenua)  – creation of vegetable gardens for used within cooking classes
• Kimbolton Early Learning Centre (Manawatū) – planting of fruit trees
• Hiwinui School (Manawatū) – towards the purchase of a greenhouse to grow vegetables for use within the school and community
• Apiti School (Manawatū) – purchase of pest traps to enhance biodiversity
• Tangimoana School (Manawatū) – development of a school and community garden
• Hokowhitu Kindergarten (Palmerston North) – purchase of equipment to help tamariki explore natural ecosystems
• Hokowhitu School (Palmerston North) - development of a wellbeing garden
• West End Kindergarten (Palmerston North) – purchase and installation of rainwater tanks
• Roslyn Kindergarten (Palmerston North) – development of a sensory garden
• Palmerston North Girls High (Palmerston North) – towards embedding sustainability into the Year 9 curriculum
• Bulls School (Rangitīkei)  – purchase of rainwater tanks
• Mangaweka School (Rangitīkei) – the purchase of a poly tunnel for creation of māra kai
• Pukeokahu School (Rangitīkei) – purchase a chicken coop
• Marton School (Rangitīkei) - towards the creation of a community orchard
• Follett Street Kindergarten (Rangitīkei) – purchase of compost bins
• Tokirima School (Ruapehu) – towards setting up a school plant nursery
• First Years Learning Centre (Whanganui) – purchase of compost bins
• Brunswick School (Whanganui) – creation of a fruit and vegetable sharing stand
• Love and Learn Care & Education (Whanganui) –  purchase of a shade shelter at their centre farm for use in all weather
• Whanganui Girls College (Whanganui) – purchase of a tunnel house to expand their existing vegetable gardens
• Whanganui Intermediate School (Whanganui) –  development of a therapeutic and education garden
• Westmere School (Whanganui) – purchasing a storage shed for materials for their ongoing nature walk development

 
In 2020-2021, the Pat Kelly Enviroschools Action Fund supported a range of projects including an outdoor music area for Manchester Street School, a community deck and memorial garden for Love and Learn Early Childcare Centre, and establishing a harakeke pa at Parkland Kindergarten for families and tamariki to harvest and weave.