Craigavon Park
The wind didn’t stop the planting at Craigavon Park yesterday, where learners from Oaklynn Special School joined the Te Whau Pathway Project and Whau River Catchment teams for some fun outside!
A group of teachers and helpers supported the learners as they dug holes and planted young native plants. By the end of the morning, the freshly planted area was dotted with greenery — each seedling a small promise for a cleaner, healthier future.
During the bush walk, teacher aide Texas Busch made a surprise discovery — an empty eggshell tucked away just off the path. “A little treasure from nature,” someone called it, sparking plenty of curious guesses about what kind of bird might have laid the egg.
For teacher aide Debbie Silvey, the day was a meaningful opportunity for the learners to connect with their environment.
“I think it’s really important for these guys to learn about where we are — in New Lynn and Green Bay — and to understand how planting trees helps keep our rivers clean for future generations,” Debbie said. “We’re based in a tech building in the middle of New Lynn, so we don’t have an outside area. For our learners, just being outdoors and doing something real like this is really special.”
She added that “They might come back in five or ten years and say, ‘I planted that!’ — and that’s such a cool thing”. We think that is a really cool thing too!
Student Rosie Rozalski was rightly proud of her accomplishment. “I planted one by myself!” she said. “I hadn’t planted a tree before… it was fun!” Her classmate Louis Court agreed, shovel in hand. “I did some digging,” he grinned. “Deep holes!”
Catherine Albiston from the Te Whau Pathway Project added, “This group were some of the best planters I’ve ever had at a planting day!”
By the end of the morning, although everyone was tired from all their mahi, they grabbed the opportunity to play in Craigavon’s playground while waiting patiently for the van to return them back to Great North Road.
Debbie said,
“They love being outside as much as possible. Today gave them that — and it gave something back to the environment too.”
Te Whau Pathway team extends a heartfelt thank you to Angus Campbell from the Whau River Catchment Trust and Oaklynn Special School for helping make Craigavon Park a little greener — one plant (and one happy student) at a time. 🌱
