Green school NZ has joined 19 other winners in the Taranaki region receiving an Environmental Award, for empowering students to take action to build a sustainable community and take action to protect and restore the environment.

Living up to its name, the Green School near Ōākura has embarked on a number of environmental projects over the last three years. Tamariki and teachers have planted 48,000 eco-sourced native plants on campus, providing new habitats for native plants and improved the connectivity to the Kaitake Range while helping soil stability and carbon sequestration. The school has worked with Taranaki Regional Council on a Biodiversity Plan for a Key Native Ecosystem it manages including controlling weeds and looking after 80 pest traps. A wetland has been restored and tamariki take part in planting days at the Tapuae Reserve and Ōākura Beach while events are hosted at the school to raise the public’s understanding of environmental issues. The Green School educates its students about environmental issues through hands-on learning and projects run by the tamariki.