Pest Plant Hui for Manawatū, Rangitīkei and Palmerston North schools a success

Student leaders from eight schools across Manawatū, Rangitīkei and Palmerston North competed in a “War on Weeds”, guided by staff from Horizons Regional Council’s biosecurity pest plant team.

On Wednesday 22 March at Mount Lees Reserve near Feilding, 48 students explored invasive plant species such as Chilean Rhubarb, gorse, and horsetail.
 
Students were also shown methods of controlling weed spread, such as the release of insects or fungi which target certain species, and spraying with herbicides.
 
Horizons environmental programme coordinator for pest plants Michael Beech says biosecurity work is vital to controlling pest plants and protecting what we value most as communities within the region.
 
“Horizons biosecurity pest plant team are responsible for a comprehensive range of control methods for minimising the damage done by pest plants to our region’s ecosystem. Pests can be complex to manage, but we hope that days like this can teach these students the importance of our work,” says Mr Beech.
 
The students scavenger hunted through the Mt. Lees bush track, identifying invasive species like bamboo and wild ginger as they went.
 
The day ended in friendly competition with a simulated invasive weed spray-off, in which a student from Hiwinui School was crowned the winner.
 
Awahou School teacher Victoria Sage says the day wasn’t just valuable for student learning, but also to the adults in attendance.
 
“It’s been a great day actually, and I’ve had a lot of comments from the kids and adults alike that they’ve learnt a lot from the day that they didn’t know before. It’s so interactive and it’s been a blast,” says Ms Sage.
 
Riverdale School teacher Janine Mcintyre says her students were able to use the knowledge they learnt to identify invasive species in their own school environment.
 
“What they’re really enjoying about the day is the hands-on way to develop knowledge that we can bring back in order to deal with the pest plants we have at our school. Our main problem at the school is ivy, and they’ve been able to identify that ivy is invasive because it strangles natives,” says Mrs Mcintyre.
 
Horizons senior environmental educator Sarah Williams is delighted with the positive feedback.
 
“We are so pleased at the outcome of the day. The students were very engaged, participating enthusiastically in activities and asking brilliant questions. We’ve had great feedback from teachers and parent helpers who said they found the day very valuable and even learnt something new themselves!
 
“We are hoping to bring the hui to other parts of the region in the future,” says Mrs Williams.