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Although lockdown disrupted Wentworth College’s annual potting up of native tree seedlings – usually carried out by Year 7 classes in October – students found a way to get the job done.
Environmental prefect, Ethan Manning-Harris, got in touch with students who had dispensation to be at school and, on November 4, 26 predominantly Year 11 to 13, students arrived with masks and gardening gloves to pot up manuka, flax, cabbage trees, mahoe and karamu seedlings while social distancing.
A few onsite juniors and a handful of teachers also joined in.
The seedlings are part of Wentworth College’s Trees for Survival programme. It is the third year that the school has been involved.
The potting up allowed students to get some fresh air and interaction, and a break from the repetitive lockdown life, Ethan said.
“It was good to see people having fun and helping out the environment.”
Their enthusiasm led to some speedy potting – 944 trees were potted up in less than two hours, which is a Trees for Survival record.
The seedlings will be housed in the school’s tree nursery until mid-2022.
Year 7 classes who missed out on potting them up, will get to plant the native trees out at the Gulf Harbour Country Club as part of their conservation efforts to return fringe areas to native bush.
