Tauranga Boys' College Wins 2025 Enviro Challenge
The importance of collective climate action amongst youth was evident at 2025's Enviro Challenge competition.
Organised by Sustainability Options, this year's Enviro Challenge brought together 77 students from nine Bay of Plenty secondary schools for a one-day sustainability competition held at Tauranga Girls' College. Made possible thanks to the sponsors: Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Whakatāne District Council, and Sustainability Options.
Tauranga Boys' College won the Enviro Challenge Award, and Whakatāne High School received the Rising Star Award for their creativity and emerging leadership.
Back due to popular demand after a 6 year hiatus, run by Sustainability Options team members Amy Earles (leader of the 2019 Enviro Challenge winning team) and Jo Wills (a longtime organiser), the event gave students a chance to explore sustainability through five interactive activities:
Presenting a sustainability audit of their school
An upcycling task using a mystery box of waste materials
A photo challenge based on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals
A structured debate on a topical environmental issue
A sustainability quiz
The energy and creativity on the day were evident in projects like a rainwater recovery system built entirely from repurposed items. Photography entries showed impressive insight into global sustainability goals, and debates revealed a depth of critical thinking from all schools.
Students shared mahi from their kura ranging from native restoration to food sovereignty, energy and water efficiency, and local partnerships—demonstrating a strong understanding of real-world environmental challenges.
The three judges certainly had their work cut out for them and were impressed by the standard of work produced:
Western Bay of Plenty District Council's Ilze Kruis stated 'Congratulations to the winners and all the schools participating in the 2025 Enviro Challenge. Your innovative approaches to sustainability have genuinely restored my faith in the younger generation's ability to implement impactful projects, both within your schools and in the wider environment. It's inspiring to see the next wave of leaders step up and take action. Keep pushing forward—your efforts are more important than ever.'
'Congratulations to all the schools that participated in this year's Enviro Challenge. It was truly inspiring to see such creative ideas, meaningful content, and passion the students brought to the event—making the judging process a very challenging one,' said Tauranga City Council's Gabriel Hurford. 'The students are all leading the way in making a positive difference, one step at a time.'
Karen Summerhayes, from Whakatāne District Council added 'Congratulations to all the participating teams. It was inspiring to see the creative thinking and relevant content that was presented. Struggling to ingrain sustainable behaviour within the school community was a common theme but these young people are certainly leading the way.'
Thanks to the participating schools: Te Puke High School, Aquinas College, Pāpāmoa College, Tauranga Boys' College, Tauranga Girls' College, Katikati College, Ōtūmoetai College, Mount Maunganui College, and Whakatāne High School.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
2 days ago
- Scoop
Energy Access Has Improved, But More Funding Is Needed To Address Disparities: WHO
While the rate of basic access to energy has increased since 2022, the current pace is insufficient to reach universal access by 2030, one of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a report published by the WHO and partners this Wednesday. The report highlights the role of cost-effective distributed renewable energy — a combination of mini-grid and off-grid solar systems — in accelerating energy access, particularly as the populations who remain unconnected mostly live in remote, lower-income, and fragile areas. Regional disparities 'Despite progress in some parts of the world, the expansion of electricity and clean cooking access remains disappointingly slow, especially in Africa,' said Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), as 85 per cent of the global population without electricity access reside in sub-Saharan Africa. In the region, renewables deployment has rapidly expanded; however, on average, it remains limited to 40 watts of installed capacity per capita — only one eighth of the average in other developing countries. Clean cooking As regional disparities persist, an estimated 1.5 billion people residing in rural areas still lack access to clean cooking, while over two billion people remain dependent on polluting and hazardous fuels such as firewood and charcoal for their cooking needs. Yet, the use of off-grid clean technologies, such as household biogas plants and mini-grids that enable electric cooking, can offer solutions that reduce the health impacts caused by household air pollution. 'The same pollutants that are poisoning our planet are also poisoning people, contributing to millions of deaths each year from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, particularly among the most vulnerable, including women and children," said Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. Lack of financing The report identified the lack of sufficient and affordable financing as a key reason for regional inequalities and slow progress. While international public financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy have increased since 2022, the developing world received significantly fewer flows in 2023 than in 2016. 'This year's report shows that now is the time to come together to build on existing achievements and scale up our efforts,' said Stefan Schweinfest, Director of the UN Statistics Division, as the report called for strengthened international cooperation between the public and private sectors to scale up financial support for developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Scoop
Ngā Poutiriao Ō Mauao Renew Commitment To Shared Kaitiakitanga
Press Release – Tauranga City Council This agreement continues the partnership established in 2013 and updated in 2018, and outlines the roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes of Ng Poutiriao Mauao, the joint administration board. The Mauao Trust and Tauranga City Council signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) this month, formalising the ongoing joint administration of the Mauao Historic Reserve. This agreement continues the partnership established in 2013 and updated in 2018, and outlines the roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes of Ngā Poutiriao ō Mauao, the joint administration board. 'This agreement is more than a document, it's a living expression of our shared responsibility to care for Mauao,' says Mauao Trust Chair Matemoana McDonald. 'It recognises the mana of iwi as kaitiaki and the importance of working together in good faith.' Under the new MOU, Ngā Poutiriao will continue to co-manage the reserve in accordance with the He Korowai Ariki o Mauao Strategic Plan and the Mauao Historic Reserve Management Plan. The board comprises equal representation from the Mauao Trust and Tauranga City Council, with four members appointed by each party. Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale says the renewed MOU is a testament to the strong relationship between the Trust and Council, and to their shared vision for Mauao. 'Together, we are committed to ensuring this taonga is protected, respected, and celebrated while ensuring public access and community engagement continues.'
Scoop
4 days ago
- Scoop
Ngā Poutiriao Ō Mauao Renew Commitment To Shared Kaitiakitanga
The Mauao Trust and Tauranga City Council signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) this month, formalising the ongoing joint administration of the Mauao Historic Reserve. This agreement continues the partnership established in 2013 and updated in 2018, and outlines the roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes of Ngā Poutiriao ō Mauao, the joint administration board. 'This agreement is more than a document, it's a living expression of our shared responsibility to care for Mauao,' says Mauao Trust Chair Matemoana McDonald. 'It recognises the mana of iwi as kaitiaki and the importance of working together in good faith.' Under the new MOU, Ngā Poutiriao will continue to co-manage the reserve in accordance with the He Korowai Ariki o Mauao Strategic Plan and the Mauao Historic Reserve Management Plan. The board comprises equal representation from the Mauao Trust and Tauranga City Council, with four members appointed by each party. Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale says the renewed MOU is a testament to the strong relationship between the Trust and Council, and to their shared vision for Mauao. 'Together, we are committed to ensuring this taonga is protected, respected, and celebrated while ensuring public access and community engagement continues.'
