Engaging our tamariki with nature

Pest Free Kaipātiki believes that when tamariki connect with nature, they become its protectors. Our school programme brings ecological restoration to life — on your school grounds, in your local bush and in the hearts of your students.

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What we bring to your school​​​​​​

​Our Ecological Restoration Educator works alongside your teachers to make conservation hands-on, meaningful and fun. Every school is different, so we tailor our support to your goals — whether that's tracking predators, restoring native bush or learning to care for kauri.​​​​​​​​

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​We can help your school:

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• Identify flora or wildlife, and set goals — we can help you identify the species present at your school and work with you to develop a plan for what to protect and what to remove. For example, you may want more birds in your trees, fewer rats in your compost and healthier kauri on your local tracks.​​​​

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• Get trapping — we supply traps and train tamariki to use them safely.

• Record and measure — we'll show you how to log catches, run bird counts and track results over time.

• Connect to community — we link schools with local volunteers and organise working bees.

• Get outside — EOTC (Education Outside The Classroom) days, bush walks and hands-on restoration in the ngāhere.

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• Test waterways and plan planting — we can support freshwater testing and develop planting plans to improve ecosystem health.

• Use our resources  — We also provide free resources through our partnership with Auckland Council's Sustainable Schools team and the Kaipātiki Local Board, including traps, weed control tools, kauri care kits and predator monitoring supplies.​

 

Please contact us if you would like to know more about how your school can get involved with PFK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our approach: rooted in te ao Māori

Our approach with schools is grounded in three connected values:

 

1.  Kaitiakitanga — guardianship of the natural world. We help tamariki and kaiako develop a genuine sense of responsibility for the land, water and living things around them​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

2. Tūrangawaewae — a place to stand. We help students build a deep connection to their own local environment: their school grounds, their reserves and their ngāhere. When tamariki feel they belong to a place, they want to protect it

3. Whakawhanaungatanga — relationships and connection. Ecological restoration is never done alone. We connect students to their wider community — volunteers, local groups, kaumātua and each other — because looking after nature is a shared responsibility​