Masterton Primary School [MPS] pupils are uniting Wairarapa schools to fundraise for the Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre.
For the past three years, the Enviro Group at MPS has raised money for the sponsor-a-hectare programme at Pūkaha, but the pupils are now setting their sites on a more significant project.
The Enviro Group has challenged the 35 schools in the region to hold a mufti day and sell ice blocks, raising money for Pūkaha’s new education centre, Te Wānanga Taiao.
Te Wānanga Taiao will host programmes, courses and research projects, and will accommodate groups of up to 40 people, including schools, businesses and community organisations.
Plans include a wharenui where visitors can stay overnight and experience the native forest at dawn and dusk.
MPS teacher Amanda Jolliffe said all the pupils in the Enviro Group were excited by the prospect of an education centre at Pūkaha.
“The education centre will be an incredible learning resource for every school in the region,” Jolliffe said.
MPS will hold its gold-coin mufti day on February 17 2023, and pupils have challenged all Wairarapa schools to organise their own mufti days.
Pūkaha general manager Emily Court said she was grateful for the support from MPS.
She said Pūkaha would acknowledge all schools who contribute to fundraising for Te Wānanga Taiao on a mural inside the education centre.
