Ōropi School: A decade of growth, thanks to an incredible start with T&G
The Garden to Table programme has been making incredible strides in schools across Aotearoa, with the help of T&G.
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of our partnership with T&G, we talked to Ōropi - one of Garden to Table’s long-standing schools, who have gained much from T&G’s kindness.
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Ōropi’s thriving Garden to Table programme is currently available to all Year 1-8 students. They attend Garden to Table fortnightly for two terms of the year. From the start, they have positioned Garden to Table to be something special for whānau to participate in. The culture of volunteering is still going strong, and the involvement of whānau has been a key part of their success - with parents, grandparents, neighbours and even an auntie regularly helping during sessions. This contributes to tamariki taking their knowledge home. After six years, they have now had past students return to volunteer with us for their secondary school service day and continue their relationship with their old primary school.
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Te Moana-a-Toi – Bay of Plenty
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2017
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Approximately 330 kids across the year.
Ōropi School offers a shining example of Garden to Table in action, with students from all 13 classes involved. With four sessions per term lasting 90 minutes, students are divided into cooking and gardening groups. They are supported by specialists and volunteers who help them learn the basics of gardening and cooking.
The principal of Ōropi School, Andrew King, is inspired by the impact of the Garden to Table programme on his students. The programme has become an integral part of the school's teaching and learning philosophy, aligning with the school's values of applying kids in real shared contexts for learning with one another. It generates learning stories, celebrates kids' successes and helps make links to other curriculum areas.
“Garden to Table is an integral part of our school - it teaches kids what they need to know to be citizens of the future”
Over the years, Andrew has seen how Garden to Table has brought the community together, requiring working alongside the PTA to fundraise, getting local businesses and community groups to support, and providing volunteering opportunities for the wider community.
The programme has been incredibly positive, motivating kids to want to be there and work together, experimenting with food, tasting, cooking, and understanding where food comes from and how to grow it.
“Garden to Table gives everyone a shared experience. There are no winners or losers - everyone just gets benefit”
Andrew believes that Garden to Table has prompted a natural curiosity and interest in sustainability, more than there used to be, and that it significantly impacts students' understanding of the world around them, including their actions on the environment.
He has noticed many long-term impacts and ripple effects of Garden to Table on his ākonga (students). They have been making recipes at home, trying healthy foods they wouldn't have eaten, and teaching their parents about composting and sustainability.
Andrew said seeing the joy on children's faces as they harvest their vegetables is heartwarming and inspiring.
“The excitement when kids harvest - that’s the best bit. Seeing their faces as they pull potatoes or harvest vegetables - they get so excited pulling them out of the garden”
Looking ahead, he envisions the programme continuing to benefit the school and its students, providing more sessions where possible. The Garden to Table programme is future-focused, always thinking about what they must do to inspire the next generation of healthy tamariki.
You can learn more about Ōropi’s Garden to Table programme via this RNZ radio interview that Heron Rickard (the school’s Garden Specialist) did recently with Jesse Mulligan.
Ngā mihi nui, T&G, for making this impact possible.
As a partner to Garden to Table, T&G demonstrates what a difference a values-aligned and committed relationship can achieve. Their support has ultimately enabled us to grow from delivering our food education programme in just 21 schools in 2013 (when our partnership began) to 300 schools across Aotearoa today.