Empowering Champions of Change
Rangi Ruru prides itself on it’s steadfast commitment to caring for Papatūānuku/Mother Earth and nurturing responsible global citizens. With today’s rangatahi living in a world burdened with environmental challenges, there is a responsibility to ensure they have the knowledge and tools to help them be champions of change.
Empowering students to ‘Be the Change’, Rangi Ruru offers a myriad of opportunities for active participation in climate-positive initiatives both within the curriculum through Te Ara, where there is interconnected learning relating to te ao Māori and sustainability, alongside opportunities to get involved in nation-wide initiatives. Student-led sustainability initiatives also play a pivotal role in fostering environmental consciousness. Initiatives like the annual Green Market and Environment Week provide students with platforms to showcase their commitment and leadership in sustainability.
Rangi Ruru also has two nurseries including a propagation nursery – where every year over 10,000 native seedlings are nurtured, before being planted as part of the Eco-Action Nursery Trust’s revitalisation of the Red Zone in Ōtautahi Christchurch, and a recently expanded edible garden. There, students devote their after-school hours to cultivating a diverse array of vegetables and fruits. Students lead and manage all aspects of production, including worm farming, composting, sowing seeds, planting and pruning – with the garden’s harvest benefitting those in need within the wider community. Even honey, produced in the student-managed beehives, is sold with funds donated back into sustainability programmes.
As an environmental trailblazer, integrating sustainable practices and environmental awareness into all facets of school life, it was an honour to be acknowledged at the recent Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Awards where the school was named overall winner of Te Waka o Aoraki Award, sharing the honour with the Bush Point Ecological Trust!
The school received a very special whakairo and pounamu trophy in recognition of its significant contributions to conservation in the wider Canterbury takiwā. This award acknowledges Rangi Ruru’s innovative approach to integrating eco-pedagogy into its curriculum and its commitment to fostering learning opportunities within the wider community. Furthermore, it applauds the hands-on action undertaken by ākonga/staff growing native plants onsite and caring for the Ōtākaro riverbank in Little Hagley, through regular river clean up initiatives.
