Kelston Primary’s at Archibald Park, 21st May 2026
Plants thrive when handled with care. A shallow channel through a park can help protect a river. Kelston Primary School’s senior students discovered both during a hands-on one of our Nature Days in May. Through planting native species, creating clay artworks and collecting rubbish, they learnt that small details make a big difference in the natural world.
The gentle art of planting
With Angus Campbell from Whau River Catchment Trust, students learned that planting takes both spade skills and a gentle touch. They practised cutting neat square blocks of soil and settling plants into their new homes.
“We planted delicate plants today,” said Brielle Uyseco.
Jhyunee Dianelo had a warning for anyone handling rengarenga too roughly: “The leaves will snap off!”
Why are some plants easier to damage than others? Their leaves and stems have different structures. Harakeke leaves, for example, are reinforced with tough bundles of fibre. Rengarenga has soft, drooping leaves that need more careful handling. A plant can be well suited to life outdoors and still be easily damaged during planting.
Supporting a plant around its root ball — the roots and soil together — helps avoid putting its weight on delicate leaves or stems. Those leaves have an important job ahead: capturing sunlight to help the plant grow.
How a swale helps protect the Whau River
The students planted beside the park’s swales, which help filter stormwater before it reaches the Whau River.
A swale is a wide, shallow channel covered with grass or other plants. It might look like an ordinary dip in the landscape, but it is designed to collect and carry rainwater. Depending on the soil and design, some water can also soak into the ground as it travels.
When rain runs over hard surfaces such as roads and paths, it can carry dirt and other pollutants with it. Vegetation in a swale slows that flow, giving sediment — small particles of soil and grit — time to settle. Plants also help filter particles from the passing water. This can reduce the amount of sediment, and pollutants attached to it, travelling downstream.
The planting was part of caring for a landscape where plants and water work together. What happens on land matters to the Whau River next to the park.
Looking closely, creating freely
Jody Yawa McMillan and Dominique Crawford from Whau the People helped students turn inspiration from the natural world into clay artworks.
Leaves, clay and imagination offered another way to explore the park. Planting called for careful handling; making art encouraged tamariki to notice shapes, textures and details, then create something of their own.
For some students, the day brought several firsts: planting a tree, using a spade or wearing gardening gloves. Each activity gave them a chance to try a new skill and build confidence.
Leaving the park better than they found it
The morning finished with a litter clean-up, putting care for the environment into practice one more time.
By the time the tamariki headed back to school, Archibald Park had new plants and less rubbish. The students had new skills, clay creations and a clearer connection between caring for a single plant and caring for the wider environment.
Not a bad day’s work for our next generation of kaitiaki!
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