Youth to be challenged at student-organised sustainability hui

The mahi hasn’t stopped since Palmerston North Girls’ High School (PNGHS) celebrated their Enviroschools Green Gold status, with students from schools across the Horizons Region invited to attend a youth sustainability wero hui.
 

PNGHS Envirogroup students and Sustainability committee have invited youth from across the Horizons Region and further afield to the hui on 22nd August at the Huia Centre. Students from seven schools from as far afield as Whanganui and Ruapehu are attending.

The hui, titled New Beginnings, is an opportunity to connect students to the Sustainability challenge and to form a network for youth.
 
Guest panellists include: Georgina Morrison (Environment Hubs Aotearoa), Dr Alison Collins (Departmental Chief Science Advisor at the Ministry for the Environment), Shaun Delamanche (Organiser of Climate Action Week Palmerston North), and Ash Muralidhar (Youth Network Support Coordinator at Forest and Bird)
 
PNGHS Envirogroup leader and student hui organiser Eve Hill says the hui is led by youth, for youth.
 
“The purpose of the hui is to encourage and inspire students to become more environmentally conscious, and bring awareness to the small initiatives they could take on as an individual, a school, or a community”
 
“By bringing hearts and minds together at the hui, we hope our shared passion for the planet can drive transformative change beyond what we ever imagined.
 
PNGHS student hui organiser Mina Gagic says: "I want this to be a hui that leaves students ready to enact sustainable change in their community.
 
"I feel really grateful that we were able to kōrero with so many experts on the future of sustainability"
 
PNGHS Envirogroup leader Maddi Coenders says: “It is good to gather such a diverse group of students together to talk about sustainability.”
 
Horizons Regional Council senior environmental educator Sarah Williams says Horizons, as regional coordinators of the Enviroschools programme, are hugely supportive of the hui.
 
“We are especially happy this hui is open to other schools who are not involved in the Enviroschools programme.
 
“We know there are many students from other schools who are equally keen to connect with others to take action on sustainability”.
 
The last youth event, also organised by PNGHS, was held in 2018 and attended by 45 students.