Good sort keeps it green

Rachel Thompson receives her award from Harcourts Taupō owner Mary-Louise Johns and Taupō Mayor John Funnell. Photo: Dan Hutchinson

Rachel Thompson, environmental educator for Kids Greening Taupō, is this month’s Harcourts Taupō Good Sort for her work in preventing invasive gold clams from entering Lake Taupō.

Thompson visited every school in Taupō, Tūrangi and Mangakino to deliver presentations on the Check Clean Dry programme. She also organised a biosecurity float for the Tremains Christmas Parade and launched a video competition sponsored by Harcourts Taupō.

The initiative began after Thompson accompanied her own children on a school camp to Lake Karapiro, which has invasive clams.

She realised students were returning to compete in a Lake Taupō triathlon the next day with no education about the biosecurity risk.

"I couldn't even sleep because I thought, all it's going to take is one kid with damp togs or wetsuit from that camp getting into our lake. We're going to have invasive clams in our lake.”

The baby invasive clams or larvae are invisible to the naked eye, and each clam produces 500 larvae per day. Even damp swimwear can transfer the species between water bodies.

Rachel contacted MPI, Waikato Regional Council, Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board and Biosecurity New Zealand about the education gap. When told there was no funding for school programmes, she volunteered to incorporate the message into her existing work with Kids Greening Taupō.

"I sort of found myself going, there should be someone doing this education. And then I'm like, hold on. I'm an environmental educator."

The Check Clean Dry advocacy work extends beyond Rachel’s core role with Kids Greening Taupō, which operates under the umbrella organisation Project Tongariro.

The programme was established 10 years ago and now works with 47 schools and early childhood centres across the region.

Catriona Eagles, board member for Project Tongariro, says Thompson's contribution is "vastly valuable”.

"She's really taken the initiative …  where very few people were making any noise and she's done a huge amount of work."

Kids Greening Taupō planted more than 30,000 trees last year and provides free environmental education resources used by schools throughout New Zealand.

The organisation's website received 54,000 hits last year, with many resources translated into Te Reo Māori.

Thompson says the funding support from Taupo District Council for an administration person has been crucial.

"For many years we didn't have any funding for an administration person. So I was up till 2 in the morning most nights trying to do the admin so that we could get into schools during the day.”

She initially resisted individual recognition, asking if the award could be for the whole team.

"I feel bad at just being for me because it's a team effort and I'm just doing my job.”

Project Tongariro was established 41 years ago following a helicopter accident in the national park that killed all workers on board.

The memorial fund evolved to include Greening Taupō and eventually Kids Greening Taupō.