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8 Oct 2025, 11:07 AM
Climate change gets creative
Students at Kaitaia Intermediate exploring climate change through interactive activities.
It all began with a hui. Kaitaia Intermediate Principal Allanah Quinn sat down with NRC staff and Maia Ingoe from Climate Club Aotearoa about the school deepening its climate awareness and taking meaningful action.
As an Enviroschool, Kaitaia Intermediate has kept climate as a consistent thread throughout the year. Term 3 became a time to focus specifically on kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and exploring what it means to care for the climate and how the students could play a part.
The Ripple workshop was introduced after a Climate Fresk session run by Climate Club at NRC sparked a question from Enviroschools facilitators: was there a version designed for tamariki?
The answer was yes, Ripple already existed, and it was a perfect fit for schools.
The result was a whole-school approach at Kaitaia Intermediate, with every student and teacher involved.
Maia Ingoe, Programme Manager for Climate Club, ran the first sessions in mid-July, followed by a second round in August.
Each round, eight classrooms took part, split across two days. The sessions explored climate change, local impacts in Te Taitokerau, and what students already knew.
Then they were asked to think about what they could do to have a real impact on climate change.
Maia guided the students through activities – including a tug-of-war - focused on transport, waste, agriculture and energy.
A word bingo game encouraged students to reflect on actions like planting trees, recycling and writing songs.
The solutions-focused exercises helped students visualise how human impacts can affect the balance of the planet.
The school immersed itself in the kaupapa and came back four weeks later to present what they had done.
The response was powerful. One class started a garden; another wrote a petition to their local councillor. Others composed songs, created poetry, made artworks and explored solar, hydro and wind power.
The students' kaupapa was further supported by the Blake NZ-VR team, a school outreach programme that connects thousands of young New Zealanders via VR headsets.
Students got creative, some made artworks which explored solar, hydro and wind power.
The team brought their headsets into classrooms, engaging both rangatahi and kaiako. Some classes chose to explore marine ecosystems, while others focused on climate change.
The students impressed everyone with their passion, their knowledge, and the practical ideas they shared.
Some suggested steps the school could take to support climate action, like installing solar panels. Shoda Tua says the strength of the programme lies in its ability to spark action.
“It’s about creating space for students to connect with the issues and see themselves as part of the solution. Kaitaia Intermediate showed us what’s possible when the whole school gets behind the kaupapa.”
Students at Kaitaia Intermediate brainstorm climate-related ideas during the Ripple workshop, using collaborative activities to explore topics like transport, energy, and agriculture.
Maia Ingoe from Climate Club Aotearoa leads a hands-on activity during the Ripple workshop, helping students explore climate concepts.
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Maia Ingoe from Climate Club Aotearoa leads a hands-on activity during the Ripple workshop, helping students explore climate concepts.
Principal Allanah Quinn agrees:
“Our students took this opportunity and ran with it. They were thoughtful, creative, and committed. It’s been inspiring to see how deeply they engaged with the climate kaupapa and how much they care about their community and environment.”
Maia says the Ripple is set to expand:
“Thanks to support from Northland Regional Council’s Climate Resilient Communities Fund, we’re bringing the Ripple workshop to more schools in Te Taitokerau in 2026. Schools keen to take part should get in touch to book a workshop for Term 1 or 2 next year.”
