Lessons on healthy soil

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Learning about the importance of soil biodiversity from a celebrity entomologist proved popular at Wainui Beach School.

Ruud Kleinpaste, aka “the Bugman”, visited the school to teach the children how to create good soil conditions.

“We wanted our kids to know the importance of having a healthy soil,” Wainui teacher in charge of enviroschools Jodie Saunders said.

“For one of the lessons, Ruud and the children gathered a whole lot of grass clippings in one place and left it bare.

“They came back at regular intervals to count the number of worms and other organisms that were attracted to the pile.”

On another occasion, Ruud took the kids to the beach, gathered piles of driftwood and asked them to observe the difference in decomposition — when the wood was in saltwater and placed on the dry sandy beach.

“Then they compared the rate of decomposition in each situation and the different types of organisms it attracted.”

The teacher said Ruud's visit was part of the school's field-based STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) initiative.

“It's an initiative that helps you get access to experts like Ruud, who come to schools and share their knowledge on their subject matter.

“Ruud has an incredible understanding of how creatures like bugs and other organisms aid the soil and help it rejuvenate, so it was good to have him as the kids had fun learning from him.”