Trust House Contributes to Schools Behind Our River

Funding from Masterton Trust House supports our signature project ‘Schools Behind Our River’, delivering hands-on learning opportunities for school students to embrace environmental conservation projects that connect local communities with the health of their river catchment, Māori heritage, and sustainable biodiversity goals.

In this respect, our goals are multi-generational, nurturing the growth and participation of young environmentalists, future scientists, and farmers from one generation to another engaging in a lifetime of conservation work – implementing sustainable environmentally-friendly farming practices and supporting biodiversity corridors across the Ruamahanga catchment.

‘Schools Behind Our River’ supports schools and rural community groups by creating restoration projects and educational activities around conservation and environmental heritage. One of our goals is to help restore and regenerate streams, wetlands, and pockets of native bush along the length and breadth of Ruamahanga river and its many tributaries, which in turn will help protect native flora and fauna within biodiversity corridors downriver from Mt Bruce Pūkaha to Kawakawa Palliser Bay.

For our part, the trust contributes and coordinates volunteer manpower, equipment resources, and product support to schools with classrooms willing to get involved with restoration plantings, field trips, and scientific research. We also support and engage local contractors and environmental consultants who advise us on flora and fauna, predator trapping, restoration planting sites, and early Māori history.

Overall, our scope of work is aimed at benefiting everyone across the Wairarapa district – tackling climate change and embracing the health of our waterways, forests, wetlands, farms, and communities for the benefit of future generations, which makes us grateful for the financial support of sponsors and community donors, like Trust House.