A two-year-long project to plant a “beautiful” native garden at Cromwell Primary School is now complete.

A group of hardworking students and teachers have created a walkway to represent the school’s four houses: Bendigo, Molyneux, Nevis, and Carrick.

Bordering the path along the Monaghan Street fence are newly planted kōwhai, hebe, and native grasses.

Year five student Juana Escaray said the plants were chosen as they are native to Cromwell.

Her classmate, Florence Wilden, described the walkway as “beautiful”.

“It has decorated rocks, trees with flowers and colour,” she said.

Isla Kelly, Frankie Powe, Catalina Vollweiler and Georgia Browne-Cole making kale chips in the school’s cooking classroom using produce they’ve grown.

The school curriculum is busy, but with the help of Central Otago Enviroschools coordinator Lucy Francke there has been a multi-year focus on cultivating gardens on the school grounds, which have become places for learning. 

Clover Salmon is one of a group of students who have helped out in the vegetable garden.

“We have grown a whole bunch of strawberries, fruit, vegetables, and flowers,” she said.

“Then we pick them to eat, cook with, and collect seeds.”

One of the brightly painted rocks in the native garden, linking the walkway to the school’s four houses.

Nothing goes to waste.

“Instead we put our food and garden scraps into a big compost bin and we spread the compost around our fruit trees, vegetables and flowers, so they are healthy,” Clover said.

Year five student Juliet Eagles said “little worms” also munch away at leftovers.

“The worms have a big role in helping us with growing our delicious fruits and vegetables. They help with the composting from our leftovers so they don’t go to waste.”

The school works with Garden to Table, which provides kitchen resources so the young people cook - and eat - all the produce they grow. 

“Our cooking is very important to us because it reminds us how hard we’ve worked to make our school a better place to live in without any waste,” Juliet said.

The students at the school hope to inspire people in Cromwell, Central Otago and the whole world.

“Although we are small people, we still have big hearts when making our environment a better place for kids to live and learn,” Year 5 student Elsie Banks said.

“You can help our environment too by making compost, growing extraordinary native plants and yummy foods.”

Have a story to share or comment to make? Contact [email protected] 

Images: The Central App