“There’s no better way to learn than to have your feet in the whenua.”

That’s according to Mangakino School principal Cherie Hill whose students took part in a predator control and planting day with Taupō District Council staff last month.

Over two days, students from Whakamaru and Mangakino schools planted 500 native plants and learned about tracking and trapping predators.

Taupō District Council environmental advisor Melissa Collins says the initiative, in collaboration with Call of the Wild director Jason Day, is to educate children about the importance of predator control and native revegetation.

“It went really well, I feel like the kids had a really good time and loved getting out and about,” she says.

“The kids planted 500 native plants in total and were taught how to identify different introduced predators by their footprints and chew marks by Jason from Call of the Wild.”

The planting and predator control days aim to benefit the environment, as well as provide valuable lessons for the children involved.

“Several communities outside of Taupō do not have ongoing predator control programs,” Melissa says.

“Our goal is to bring community members together to tackle a common issue; introduced predators that harm native plants and animals. Together, we aim to strengthen the community and protect local biodiversity.

“Now that the kids have learned which invasive predators are present within the area, our next step is to teach ways to capture and control them. We are looking at taking this program to other areas in the district too.”

Mangakino School principal Cherie Hill says it is important for children to know who they are, where they belong and where they come from.

“True manaakitanga is living it,” she says.

“It’s all community driven. We believe the land we have, the whenua, and our kids being in it is the best and most successful tool to be able to provide our children with the skills they need for the future.

“You get a really good balance between the kids physically learning in the environment and then bringing that back into the classroom, so the learning is connected.”

Cherie says since the school has started using more hands-on learning outdoors, engagement has improved.

“The kids just want to come to school because it’s fun. It’s about the entire community and trying to achieve outcomes as one community, one whānau.”

Check out the video of the predator control and planting sessions at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzzVcFffx18

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