Young Kiwi conservationists, gardeners and environmental champions at 30 schools across the country will now be able to kick-start their sustainability projects thanks to $25,000 of grants awarded today by Countdown.

The Growing for Good grants aim to help primary and intermediate schools fund a range of projects which are focused on protecting Aotearoa’s precious environment. These include installing beehives and chicken coops, planting native trees and plants as well as fruit and vege gardens, investigating maramataka, growing Māori medicinal plants, and reducing food waste.

Countdown’s General Manager Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Kiri Hannifin, says they were blown away by the huge number of applications they received from schools across New Zealand.

"We were so impressed by the creative ideas demonstrated in this first round of Growing for Good applications. It's fantastic to see our young tamariki and their schools so passionately engaged with weaving environmentalism and sustainability into everyday learning," says Kiri Hannifin.

"What was particularly heartening was the number of projects designed to benefit not only the environment and the students, but their families and communities as well. It was incredibly difficult to make our final choices!"

"Countdown is focused on helping protect the precious environment we have here in New Zealand and we’re keen to help grow the minds of young Kiwis who are interested in sustainability. It’s really clear that there are thousands of kids who are passionate about doing more, so we’re pleased to announce that we’ll be running these grants again. Keep an eye out for this towards the end of 2019," says Kiri Hannifin.

Growing for Good grant recipients (in geographical order):

Kawakawa Primary

- Install beehives and undertake bee friendly planting. Use wax to make beeswax wraps.

Whangarei Immediate School

- Plant a garden of traditional Māori plants used for medicinal purposes

Waitoki Primary School

- Build a chicken coop for their high needs students

Whangaparaoa School

- Install a sensory garden to encourage inclusion for those who can’t access outdoor areas.

Hobsonville Point Primary

- Plant a Kiwi Kai Garden for Matariki 2019 and support teaching tikanga Māori

Henderson Valley School

- Build a community garden

Kadimah School

- Install a chicken coop and chickens

Bucklands Beach Primary School

- Purchase gardening equipment

Pahoia Primary

- Install a compost to reduce waste and support learning

Welcome Bay School

- Install a rainwater tank for their existing veggie patch

Apanui School

- Grow a fruit orchard to help children understand food production and seasonality while supporting healthy eating

Pukeatua School

- Plant an orchard to help with school lunches and to support local food rescue groups

Waikirikiri School

- Install a bee friendly, sensory garden

Puketapu School

- Create a biodiversity area to support and protect native insects

Kaimata School

- Add to existing beehives and use their own wax to make beeswax wraps to reduce the use of gladwrap in school lunchboxes

Poukawa School

- Create a food forest - including plants for shade, shelter, medicine, soil fertility and pest control

Ashhurst School

- Install a Butterfly and Ladybird House, plant a vegetable and herb garden and put in a compost

Whakarongo School

- Expand their orchard to add variation to the current crops and to support local food rescue groups

Paekākāriki School

- Learn about the tikanga of harakeke and the rongoā of Māori medicinal plants through the planting and harvesting of these

Fernridge School

- Create an outdoor learning space of a sensory garden and planting to feed native birds and insects

Hampton Hill School

- Develop a forest fruit canopy garden to help children understand food production and food literacy

Dovedale School

- Install a vegetable garden

Lake Brunner School

- Plant a companion garden for bees and butterflies and develop a spray free vegetable garden

Amberley School

- Plant a garden and teach harvesting and cooking

Burnside Primary

- Implement a waste management system

South New Brighton

- Develop a community garden to support food resilience programme

Our Lady of the Snows School

- Build a chicken coup

Portobello School

- Plant native plants using maramataka (moon cycles) and then use the school as a nursery to support planting in a local Marae

MacAndrew Bay School

- Purchase a stream health monitoring and assessment kit to expand on the work they have been doing to improve the area around their local stream

Winton School

- Build a worm farm to help reduce food waste and use the compost to grow fresh produce for families in the community