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  Back to school - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Despite the Novopay chaos and the depressing Government commitment to undermining public education, school starts today and can be a great place. The Green Party is keen to support students and teachers to stay positive and keep working together. We want to see more schools working closely with their communities, more Enviroschools, more early childhood [...] read more
  January 28, 2013 3:59 pm - 1 Comment
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  Enviroschools Award for Cool Ngaruawahia Kindy - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Yesterday I had the privilege of attending an Enviroschools Award ceremony at Newcastle Kindergarten in Ngaruawahia. They had won a bronze award for their sustainability efforts and focus at the centre. During the powhiri the children performed waiata with confidence and listened very politely to the speeches of the adults. We then had the chance [...] read more
  November 23, 2012 11:35 am - 1 Comment
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  Education is ACE - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The idea that education is for life is learned from early childhood. The ethos of community based learning, second chance education and community development has informed Adult and Community Education (ACE) programmes for many years. Despite the brutal cuts to ACE the ethos is alive and well in places like Riverslea Primary School in Hastings [...] read more
  May 11, 2012 9:51 am - 30 Comments
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  Young people inspire others to believe change is possible - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  One of the events I really wanted to take part in last year was a festival called “A Day at the Beach”. It was the idea of a couple of young West Coasters, Louis Brown and Guy Ryan. Louis would walk 350km (to represent 350 ppm Carbon in the atmosphere) down the beach from Karamea [...] read more
  September 5, 2010 11:00 pm - 5 Comments
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  Enviroschools reprieve is not relief - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The Government has agreed to fund Enviroschools for another six months and then review it. The review will use up precious resources needed to maintain and develop the programme. Thus the continued uncertainty and search for a secure funding base continues for Enviroschools staff. read more
  November 25, 2009 11:38 am - 6 Comments
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  The Three Rs”: Reduce, Regiment, and Ruin our public education system - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  It wasn’t much fun waking up this morning to the news that the Ministry of Education will no longer be providing advice to primary schools on arts, science, technology, or physical education – nothing in fact, except the “three Rs”: reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. This latest assault on the public education system by the National [...] read more
  October 22, 2009 12:58 pm - 36 Comments
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  A few quotes from John Key – pre election - by frog

  
  
  
  “National will have policies that reflect the fact that living on a diet of carbon will be increasingly bad – bad for the world and bad for our economy. We will have policy that encourages ‘climate friendly’ choices like windmills, hydro power and tree planting, and reduces the desire for ‘climate unfriendly’ behaviours, like burning [...] read more
  October 10, 2009 1:16 pm - 15 Comments
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  Minister Smith please stand up - by frog

  
  
  
  Nick has been surprisingly silent on the decision of Ministers Brownlee and Groser to do a stock-take of our premiere conservation land for its mining potential. Was he consulted? We know he was given a copy of Brownlee’s speech prior, but did he read it? Does he support it? What’s up, Nick? read more
  October 4, 2009 9:11 am - 22 Comments
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  Per Capita Funding Benefits Wealthier Schools - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The additional funding for sports in secondary and primary schools sounds great but the devil is in the detail. Up til now the  funding under the Sportfit programme ($5.3 million) was targeted so that lower decile schools got more support. The new money which is $6 million to secondary schools and $6 million to primary [...] read more
  August 17, 2009 3:46 pm - 94 Comments
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  SOS Enviroschools - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Last Thursday night I facilitated a meeting of more than forty people in Grey Lynn to discuss the cuts to Enviroschools and how to keep sustainability education sustainable. The meeting included youth activists who have formed a group called SOS Enviroschools, plus sustainability advisers, parents, the Auckland Regional Council and supporters from the community. Heidi [...] read more
  August 3, 2009 10:41 am - 46 Comments
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  Food Price Hikes: Less Lunch To Munch - by frog

  
  
  
  Much like a monkey aboard a 1960s Space Rocket it appears food prices don’t want to come back down to earth either.  A brand of chocolate that is now banned at Auckland Zoo seems to be partly responsible. Apparently the increase in Grocery Sub Group One was driven by a price increase for chocolate that [...] read more
  July 16, 2009 4:19 pm - 6 Comments
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  Losing our Enviroschools - by frog

  
  
  
  National has just cut $19 million of funding for the Greens’ Enviroschools programme. Does this mark the end of one of our most successful initiatives? I talk to Green Education Spokesperson Catherine Delahunty on the fate of teaching for a sustainable future. Losing our Enviroschools (MP3 and OGG) This work is licenced under a Creative [...] read more
  July 1, 2009 3:19 pm - 30 Comments
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  Enviroschools video series: 4 an additional plea - by frog

  
  
  
  In the final installment of the video series on Enviroschools, Catherine explains the success and disappointment of losing the funding in the parliamentary general debate. She also released an audio podcast this week that is highly recommended listening. “Picture this: a Dunedin 10-year-old develops a cost-benefit analysis of solar power versus wind power as energy [...] read more
  June 27, 2009 8:00 pm - 57 Comments
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  Enviroschools video series: 3 offering the solution - by frog

  
  
  
  In the third video on Enviroschools, we have Green Party education spokesperson Catherine Delahunty enquiring of the Prime Minister why he saw fit to cut funding to such a successful programme, and one that NZ trade negotiators are busy ‘selling’ in the trade talks with Brunei, Chile and Singapore! read more
  June 27, 2009 2:00 pm - 10 Comments
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  Enviroschools video series: the PM loves it - by frog

  
  
  
  In our second video on Enviroschools we have the Prime Minister himself singing the praises and importance of Enviroschools. He says, amongst other things: Most of all, we know that the environment is something that New Zealanders have for a long time taken for granted. We’re at a point we can no longer afford to [...] read more
  June 27, 2009 8:00 am - 6 Comments
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  Enviroschools video series: the problem - by frog

  
  
  
  One of the tragedies of the Budget cuts was the loss of funding to the highly successful Enviroschools programme. While Enviroschools began in the Waikato in the 1990s, it was boosted into the mainstream of our education system with a 2006 Budget initiative from the Green Party. Now, one-quarter of NZ schools are Enviroschools, and [...] read more
  June 26, 2009 4:47 pm - 3 Comments
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  Enviroschools and the Budget – Sabotaging Success - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Two weeks I went to a hui of environmental educators working with the Enviroschools programme throughout the country. They were so vibrant and so excited about their ever expanding programmes throughout kura kaupapa and many other schools throughout Aotaeraoa. They were also focused on their “regeneration” project which involves students who have left school but [...] read more
  June 4, 2009 2:36 pm - 55 Comments

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