Kawaha Point Primary School children grow and learn in garden

Kawaha Point pupils Cody Bryson, 10, and Moana Purser, 9, helped create the school's new outdoor learning space. Photo/Stephen Parker

Kawaha Point Primary School children have a new outdoor "classroom" tucked away on the boundary of the school field - a vegetable patch and a native garden.

It's part of the school's desire to teach its children about sustainability and the environment. The native garden was officially opened on Wednesday last week with the whole school attending the cutting of the ribbon.

Among those helping the school's efforts were 10-year-old Cody Bryson and 9-year-old Moana Purser. They're already keen gardeners and enjoyed the opportunity to get their hands in the dirt and pass on their knowledge.

The vege garden and native area were a chance to "get out of the classroom and out into the sun," Cody said.

"You learn all about growing things and about trees, birds and insects - it's cool for the school to have the garden and native area. Sometimes we get to eat some of what we grow."

Moana, who has her own vege patch at home, said gardening was fun.

"You can watch seeds grow and it's interesting."

She said weta had been spotted in the native area and she hoped native birds would also be encouraged to move in.

The school received funding to establish the native area through the Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Environmental Enhancement Fund and also had a lot of help from local businesses which donated material and time. Members of the wider community went along to working bees to help establish the vege patch and native area.

New entrants teacher Dana Thompson, who is in charge of the projects, said the support of the business and wider community had been "fantastic" and the regional council had provided valuable advice and support as well as funding.

"This has been a real community effort," she said.

The native area was planted by senior students after non-native trees were removed. Other students helped move bark and will be involved in the upkeep of the area, which includes a path.

Some of the vegetables from the school's garden are sold and seeds are collected from some plants to grow new seedlings.

Mrs Thompson said there were plans to create a sensory garden and to install a kitchen where the children could cook and eat what they'd grown.