Mara+Ataahua



**__Mara Ataahua ~ Garden of Wonders__ **

Ashburton Borough School is situated approximately 100 kilometres south of Christchurch in the heart of the Canterbury plains. They are a Silver level Enviro School hoping to become a Green Gold Enviro school in the not to distant future of 2008. During November 2007 students of the Ashburton Borough School Environmental Team completed a Full School Survey of ideas of developments needed in the school grounds. These ideas included valid environmental issues and concerns around the school. Early the next year 2008 lead students of the Enviro Team prioritised ideas taken from the full school survey. The development of a scruffy grass area annihilated by junior students, into a beautiful native garden. This was identified as a one of the major goals for the student Enviro team during the year of 2008. Ross (12, Yr8), the student chairperson and Andrew (12, Yr7), a vice chairperson of the student Enviro team lead a subgroup of students to plan and design the new area. This was followed by a student survey of the town site to inform students of this project and ask for practical ideas that could be used in the development of the new native garden. Teachers were also included in this survey by asking how their whole class would use this area. The survey results informed us that the majority of students were supportive but were unaware of this project until we discussed the idea. Ross and Andrew contacted local landscape designer Leen Braam owner/manager of the Ashburton business, Braam’s Landscaping Unlimited. They arranged a meeting to discuss proposed ideas and to ask for expert advice. A plan was created and shared amongst the student Enviro team, School staff, Home and School/PTA and the School Board of Trustees. We were confident to take our ideas to the school administrators as we knew they would support us. We tried to involve as many people as possible in this project. As it is said “Many hands make light work.” Mr Hooper the school Environmental teacher for the past six years encouraged a sub group of the Enviro Team to apply for a Ministry of Environment grant of up to a grand total of $1000. Included in our application were quotes from local businesses, a letter from students showing how this project could lower our carbon footprint on mother earth and a letter of support from our school Principal Mr Winterbourn. They were shocked and stunned at Ashburton Borough School to learn that the Ministry application for $1000 had been successful. This now meant that with the school budget money and the Ministry funding they had $2000 to spend on this difficult project. Following this the administrative students in the Enviro team created a busy schedule of events needed to be completed for the garden to allow for as many students as possible to be involved in planting on World Environment Day. Our longest process was to apply for resource consent to remove the large, natural greywacke boulders which have been washed down the river bed from the Southern Alps. Environment Canterbury allowed us to take three cubic metres of boulders from Rawles Crossing Road North approximately two kilometres west of Ashburton.



These were gathered in shocking conditions by Ross, Ross’ Dad and Mr Hooper on the day before the working bee to provide borders to the bark chip pathways. Thank you very much to Mr Allott for bringing the 1969 Land Rover out of retirement. This helped us in the wet and rocky conditions. Prior to the working bee ten cubic metres of mulch provided free of charge by Wastebusters Trust Canterbury arrived in style. Nineteen cubic metres of orange coloured bark chips was delivered by Wilson’s Transport. The teachers still praised the Enviro team’s effort even though some of the limited amount of car park was surrendered unusable. Our care taker Mr Bill Duffield killed the grass in this area to reduce the weeds coming through into the new plot.Lachie Davidson, a yr 6 Vice Chairperson and his father collected grasses, hebes and corokias kindly donated by Trees for Canterbury based in Christchurch. On Sunday 25th of May at 7:30am in pitch blackness, Mr Davies of Welshie’s Digger Hire arrived with his eight tonne excavator. Over one hour Welshie transformed the scruffy grass area into a delicate work of art. Pathways and raised gardens had been formed.

Later that morning at 10:00am despite terrible weather conditions students, parents, staff, members of Forest and Bird and members of the public attended a working bee. Carpet and weed cloth were laid to prevent weeds, bark chips were spread to make pathways, mulch added to raise garden areas, thirty metres of 6x1 timber installed to prevent mulch falling onto existing concrete paths. When we ran out of wool carpet to lay underneath the paths we used cardboard and old newspapers to reduce our carbon footprint. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Val Clements of Forest & Bird advised where to plant native grasses, hebes and other plants. The Forest and Bird Society provided some quite rare specimens. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Following the working bee Andrew Tiffen and Jake McGill, committee members of the Enviro team, prepared a delicious, mouth watering barbeque. We were pleased at how it looked with all the work. We were well on the way to completing our major project. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">In the build up to World Environment Day a group of keen young environmentalists kept spreading bark chips onto the paths during their recess breaks and lunch hours.

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">World Environment Day dawned crystal clear, with a sharp frost. During the morning grasses were prepared for planting.After the lunch break several classes of students enjoyed completing stage one of the project. Older students helped younger students to part the mulch, cut the weed cloth, dig holes and heel the plants in. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Friday 20th June, an official opening of Mara Ataahua, translation in English- Beautiful Garden took place. The Mayor of Ashburton, Mr Bede O’Malley unveiled the Enviroschool sign and cut the silver ribbon with an ordinary pair of scissors, unfortunately not the special ones used to open the Ashburton Bridge. A beautiful, carved, Oamaru stone koru was donated by the school Kapahaka Group and received by the Enviro team to be located next to the sign in the new garden. The name Mara Ataahua was suggested and selected by the students.

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Stage 1 is now complete. In the future, stage 2 will be installing natural seating, for student, teacher and parent use, placing feature rocks from the Rangitata River in the garden and creating a North, South, East, West tile compass feature. Stage 3 will be to add shade cloths with the help of the student Health and Safety committee but this will come in the summer term. || ||
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Every recess, lunch time and other spare moment students descend on the pathways. They like to look at the planting and know that they helped establish the garden. Ross quotes, “I can now leave Borough School knowing that I have helped make something that children will use now and in the future.”Andrew quotes, “I am happy with the end result. It looks even better than what I thought it would be.” Mr Hooper thinks, “It was a great team effort that everyone should be proud of.”
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Written by:Ross - Chairman of the student Enviro team 2008 **
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Andrew - Vice Chairman of the student Enviro Team 2008 **
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">John Hooper - Co-ordinator of Education for Sustainability **