'60 Springs will provide opportunities for young people to develop innovative solutions towards a sustainable Taranaki'
60 Springs is about sustainability. For us this doesn’t just mean the environment. We also investigate our economy, our history and many other aspects of making Taranaki a great place to live – now and in the future.
60 Springs is also about education, working with young people and teachers to look at the issues that are facing us as a community.
Our third focus is creativity. This means thinking differently about the problems our environment, society and economy are facing. What can we do to make a difference?
The 60 Springs programme is available to schools throughout Taranaki from Year 7 to Year 13.
The programme includes:
- Investigations in the local environment
- Development of critical and creative thinking skills within the Research Process
- Mentoring opportunities
- Input into the Youth Sub-committee vision for a sustainable Taranaki (2012)
- Opportunities to network with people through 60 Springs
- Development of partnerships to foster creative outcomes
Out in the field
60 Springs was named after the natural springs in Pukekura Park, in central New Plymouth, but the programme is not restricted to just these waterways.
Each individual project is developed with teachers and students and can investigate any area or issues of interest that relates to sustainability. This can be on the school grounds or in locations close to the school. For example, Waitara High School students have been investigating the Eastern side of the Waitara River near the entrance to the sea, and Taranaki Coastal School students are studying Waikirikiri Lagoon about 7km from their school in Okato.
The project in action
This short video explores the work Devon Intermediate School students carried out investigating crayfish populations in Pukekura Park
Achievements and awards
Since the programme began in 2008, 60 Springs has been working with students from the following schools to research their local environment, collect and analyse information then begin to think about what they would do differently in the future.
- Devon Intermediate School (Pukekura Park)
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- Hawera High School (Nowell’s Lakes, Hawera)
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- Manaia Primary School (Manaia township)
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- Opunake High School (Blue Flag Beaches, various sites around Taranaki)
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- Taranaki Coastal School (Waikirikiri Lagoon)
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- Waitara High School (Waitara River Mouth)
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- New Plymouth Boys High School (Pukekura Park, Te Henui river)
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- Highlands Intermediate School (Pukekura Park)
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Students worked with different professionals to produce DVD’s, flyers, sound recordings, reports and photographs to show off what they learned.
Here is another video produced by students at Devon Intermediate School, this time showing their work with glowworms.
The following projects won awards as a result of being involved with 60 Springs;
EMAP Koura Kraze Film competition 2008 - Devon Intermediate School Year 7 fish group won their category.
Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) Freshwater Movie Challenge 2008 - Devon Intermediate School Year 8 teams were highly commended as a collective group.
Fonterra Science and Technology Fair 2009 – 1st place for a Year 10 student from Waitara High School in the scientific investigation section for study on mustelids located near the Waitara River mouth.
Ministry of Youth Development Youth Participation Award and one of the top 20 DVDs in the Outlook for Someday sustainability film challenge 2009 - Devon Intermediate School for their video investigating crayfish populations in Pukekura Park (see above)
EMAP Koura Kraze Film competition, 2009 - Devon Intermediate School Freshwater crayfish video, highly commended.