Kelston Primary School and Ko Taku Reo plantings at Archibald Park
Kelston Primary School and Ko Taku Reo School experienced their Nature Days with Te Whau River Catchment Trust and Whau the People near the swales in Archibald Park. What does a swale do? Swales help the Whau River by
- Reducing flooding
- Preventing erosion
- Slowing water flow
- Letting water soak into the ground naturally
- Improving water quality by filtering out pollutants
We got some great feedback from the students! Thank you for your positive comments and ideas for future Nature Days.
POV: Kids swale planting
Along the hill where rain would race,
There’s now a swale—it slows the pace.
No fences there, just plants and ground,
A quiet way to spread rain round.
I’d not been to that park before,
I now know plants and want to learn more.
I like when we teamed up as buddies,
Together we planted, and got a bit muddy!
“I learned to dig and plant a tree,
And name some plants I didn’t see.”
“We painted tiles on bits of wood—
They’ll show what swales do, really good!”
One day a sign will stand up tall
To show how swales help slow it all.
My art will help explain the rain
And how to care so drains don’t strain.
Teachers feedback
The teachers thought the day was great too!
Using visual art as a medium for developing understanding of what a swale is and how it works was great for helping to embed the new learning
Kelston Primary School
It was a great day. Students actively enjoyed the activities together, especially the older students supporting the younger ones. We saw some great Tuakana-Teina relationships!
Ko Taku Reo School
Kelston Primary School Photo Gallery
Ko Taku Reo School Photo Gallery
About this event
| Date | Thursday 5th June 2025, Wednesday 11th June 2025 |
| Location | Archibald Park |
| Type | Awa Connection Day, Nature Day, Swale Planting |
| Who | Whau River Catchment Trust, Whau the People |
| Schools | Kelston Primary School, Ko Taku Reo |
| Funders | Te Whau Pathway Project |
