A Māngere College student carrying wood for a new compost bin. Photo: RNZ / Luka Forman
It is not often you get a group of teenagers up and going at 6.30am.
But that was the scene at a South Auckland community hub on Thursday morning - where local high school students learned about growing their own food, looking after their environment, and were rewarded with a delicious hāngī for their efforts.
Volunteers setting up a hāngī. Photo: RNZ / Luka Forman
The Māngere enviro-hub is a Kainga Ora-owned site which has been repurposed from housing to an area with a community garden, composting and tree planting in the heart of South Auckland.
Rata Taiwhanga was in charge of the workshop and spoke to students about how they could be sustainable by making their own compost and food.
"So what we're trying to do is we're trying to achieve what we call a circular economy... we're trying to create our own soil that we'll turn into compost that we'll then be bringing into the greenhouse..."
The students then helped lay concrete for a new greenhouse, put together a new high-tech compost system, and inspected the water and marine life in the nearby Te Ararata stream.
Māngere College students inspecting the water quality of the nearby Te Ararata stream. Photo: RNZ / Luka Forman
Māngere College student Jackson Davita said he learned heaps.
"Learning about the little river we have here in Māngere, it's pretty cool. Connecting back to, looking after Papatūānuku is basically a main thing isn't it?"
Daniel Kelly - or Matua Dan - from Māngere College said he was pleasantly surprised to see his students up at the crack of dawn.
"It's nice to know that kids can get up early at 6.30. So if they can do that they can come to school on time. But I think it's a cool activity for them to get involved in something that's local. We're not shipping them out to other places around. They're staying within Māngere area."
Daniel Kelly from Māngere College, next to the greenhouse site. Photo: RNZ / Luka Forman
Matua Dan said some of the skills students learned at the enviro-hub were missing from traditional schooling.
"I think the stuff around circular economy, kai sovereignty - it's going to be important for them because it's just the way the worlds going to go. So who better to learn it from then the ones that are actually here in their backyards doing it."
Rata Taiwhanga started out his sustainability journey picking up rubbish in his 'WasteWaka' - a sort of makeshift trolley with a rubbish bin and speakers to blast music on top of it.
He then connected with the Māngere enviro-hub - a site that used to be Kainga Ora housing, but was cleared and is now used by various community groups.
Rata has helped fundraise money for the new greenhouse at the hub, and get council climate grants to add in new carbon cycle compost bins.
"I think it's just going to add another level of support... having a local place ... having our local kids come down and learn about these places, it's really important."
Rata Taiwhanga next to one of the hub's carbon cycle compost bins. Photo: RNZ / Luka Forman
Award-winning Māori chef Kia Kanuta cooked breakfast for the kids, and helped prepare the hangi for later on in the day.
"It's a kaupapa that I believe in eh bro? Just being able to help out some of the rangatahi around here and if it's got anything to do with food I'm always keen to be a part of it bro."
Spaces like the enviro-hub are crucial to help communities get a better understanding of their food, Kanuta said.
"It's essential that we spaces where our rangatahi, or just anyone that's interested, can come and learn where their food comes from. Understanding healthy soils and just taking care of the environment means better food for us."
Award-winning Māori chef Kia Kanuta cooking for the students. Photo: RNZ / Luka Forman
As part of the enviro-hub's council climate funding, it will be delivering 24 more workshops this year including 12 to local schools and 12 to the public.
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