Richmond Kindergarten Bug Garden
During the 2023 planting season, we were immensely proud of the achievements made by the little ones at Richmond Kindy and the young nature enthusiasts at Waipahihi School . Richmond Kindy envisioned a space where their young ones could connect with nature even before stepping into bush Kindy. The tamariki spent time diligently drawing pictures of what they wanted the space to look like and created a video to show to Taupō District Council to receive approval for their work. Once permission was granted from TDC, the tamariki got to business. Working alongside students from Waipāhīhī School, they transformed the old chicken run just beyond their fence. Weeds were cleared, the weed mat discarded, and a wild cherry tree was carefully taken down. Thanks to funding from the Take Action fund, generously sponsored by Contact Energy , and plants sourced from The Possum funding, they were able to plant and nurture new green life, boosted by nutrient-rich vermicast from MyNoke . To improve accessibility, they repurposed old concrete blocks hidden under the weeds to create a pathway, and generously mulched the area using mulch from the Taupo Community Gardens . It's truly remarkable what a community can achieve when they come together.
The 2023–2024 growing season was an ideal one for the Richmond Bug Garden. The plants flourished—shooting up strong and healthy—but so too did the weeds. Luckily, nine students from Waipāhīhī School joined forces with Richmond Kindy tamariki to clear a huge section of the garden. Along the way, dead branches were cut back, opening up space for a secret hut beneath one of the established trees. The students even helped build a ponga log border, carefully cutting the logs to size. It was hot, sweaty mahi, but the teamwork paid off. Together they planted 15 more trees, and under their care, the restoration area has thrived. What was once an unused weed bank has now been transformed into a vibrant garden buzzing with biodiversity.
Amid all the mahi of preparing the land, planting, and mulching, the tamariki uncovered big earthworms wriggling through the soil, tiny grubs nestled underground, and bright green vegetable shield bugs resting on the trees. To make the space even more welcoming for the minibeasts they were finding, the tamariki began creating a bug hotel using sticks, bark, and rotten logs collected from around the bug garden. The hotel is now tucked into the garden, ready to become a safe hideaway for beetles, spiders, and other tiny residents.
As Richmond Kindy has finished planting their bug garden, they have now started to develop a trap line to help protect the birds that are starting to visit it. They learned the birds need to be protected from predators such as cats, rats, stoats and possums. They placed tracking tunnels out to find out what predators there might be lurking around their garden and found rat and hedgehog prints! The stuffy rat and hedgehog helped the tamariki to understand how those little prints got onto the paper. Thanks to the supplies from Predator Free Taupo they have built a trap box and instantly caught a massive rat. Here is to keeping their bug garden safe for their bugs and birds.
