Waitara youth braved the impending rains and got straight into planting their natives on the nearby farm located on the school ground. They were able to tie this activity to maramataka or Matariki providing the group with a rich sense of cultural and ecological significance as they engaged in planting.

Combining planting with learning to code, flight path and navigation enriched the entire experience for these keen students. Native planting included a range of Akeake/Dodonaea, Tarata/Lemonwood/Pittosporum, Cabbage tree/tī kōuka/cordyline. According to the Department of Conservation NZ ‘native bush develops naturally in stages where each plant community improves the conditions for the next. The soil composition changes as layers of decaying plant material build up’. This is an extremely beneficial process for farmland.

Empowering this activity with active coding and drone navigation was designed to equip our youth in one of the fastest-growing fields across the globe. Information technology, for example, has become one of the highest paying industries in NZ for 3 years running, and many in the field are enjoying the benefits.

Through these workshops, PTC hopes to encourage curiosity and maybe even spark future interest amongst rangatahi in the burgeoning field of IT.