St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Ellerslie, Auckland is serious about sustainability. The students, parents and teachers converted a previously unused space behind a row of prefab classrooms into a little garden oasis in the city. The Sustainability Garden has contributed much to the children’s learning, teaching them the benefits of growing their own food, and the positive contribution plants, birds and insects have on the wider ecosystem.
Sustainability lead teacher Miss Jessie Ahearn and Mrs Catherine Jones (Principal’s PA) applied for funding from the Hynds Community Fund with assistance from James Willoughby, to support their plans to harvest rainwater from the nearby classroom roofs to nourish the edible and native plant gardens all year round and even keep the school chickens hydrated.
Hynds employees, students, parents, and teachers helped prepare the sites for the tank installation. In total 3 tanks were installed, supplied by the Hynds Onehunga team. Each tank collects water from the roof, and each is fitted with a pump that feeds pressurised roof water to hoses, irrigation lines and taps.
Principal Sue Kubala says the school was overjoyed and thankful to have received funding for this initiative and it’s been great to involve our young learners in the process of setting up our rain harvesting system and caring for this special space. A special thank you to Hynds for supporting us with this initiative.
Now all we have to do is wait for Auckland to do what it does best, rain!