How We Can Help Your School

Pest Free Kaipātiki can help schools inspire their tamariki to protect our native taonga.
Our Ecological Restoration Educator will visit your school and help you with all things biodiversity.
 

• Identify your goal: Do you want to see more birds nesting in the school’s trees? Do you want to get rid of the rats in the school’s compost? Do you want us to upskill the students in kauri dieback prevention? We can help you set and achieve your school's environmental goals.

• Identify what lives at your school: Which species of flora or wildlife would you like to protect and which species would you like to see disappear?

• Get trapping: We can provide your school with traps and train the children on how to use rat traps.

• Record your work: We can show you how to count your catches and record your pest weed work in the appropriate apps.

• Measure the results: We can show you how to see results over time, schedule bird counts and undertake general predator monitoring.

• Connect to community groups: We can help your school to organise working bees with volunteer groups - we will provide all the tools and have volunteers visit your school.

• Undertake EOTC (Education Outside The Classroom): We can work with you to plan walks in the ngāhere/bush, organise EOTC days with the help of local volunteers, and more.

• Access resources: Thanks to the special partnership with Auckland Council's Sustainable Schools team and the Kaipātiki Local Board, the following resources are available to schools in Kaipātiki: Predators Monitoring: tracker tunnels / ink pads and chew cards with identification guides; Predator Control: rat traps, possum timms traps and DOC200 traps; Weed Control: weed bags, herbicides and tools; Kauri Care: brushes, sterigene bottles.

 

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

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Kaitiakitanga  

We are helping students/tamariki and teachers/kaiako care for and protect the natural environment, including land, water, and other natural resources, fostering a deeper sense of responsibility to the environment. 

 

Tūrangawaewae

A place to stand, this is a significant concept in te Ao Māori: 

- emotional connection to a specific place. 

- represents a sense of belonging, identity, and a place of empowerment 

- Learning from the “older generations” 

- creating spaces for learning and innovation. 

 

What does this look like in the classroom? 

• nurture curiosity 

• learning about native biodiversity on the school grounds or local reserves through hands on activities 

• help schools to boost native biodiversity on the school grounds by removing pest plants and predators, creating habitats and by planting native trees. 

 

Whakawhanaungatanga

Emphasizing relationship-building and connection, whakawhanaungatanga is closely linked to ecological restoration efforts. It highlights the importance of collaborative partnerships, shared knowledge, and cultural practices in restoring ecosystems and communities.  

 

What does this look like in the classroom? 

• understanding the history of introduced species and their impact on New Zealand’s ecosystems today 

• learning what tamariki can do to protect local reserves from pest plants and predators 

• connecting the school to PFK reserve volunteers and other stakeholders in local reserves 

• involving the wider school community. 

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

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