In commemoration of Earth Hour 2025, Mauke Environment Officer Raita Moetaua celebrated the event with students from Apii Mauke Primary School. The day’s activities included a presentation highlighting the importance of Earth Hour and raising awareness about the urgency of climate change and its impact on human activity and the planet. The aim was to educate and empower students to take small, meaningful actions in their daily lives.
Earth Hour is a global event where people switch off their lights for one hour to show support for environmental conservation and climate action. Students learned how this initiative is commemorated around the world and were encouraged to participate from home as part of their contribution to Earth Hour 2025. The students were motivated to turn off their lights at home, plant trees, conserve water, and understand the importance of protecting nature and our island’s biodiversity.The session wrapped up with fun, interactive activities, including an Earth Hour-themed colouring competition and a bilingual word search featuring both English and Māori terms. Teachers described the session as a creative and engaging way to reinforce the student’s learning while having fun.
In addition, students from Years 4 to 6 were invited to take part in a Māori poem competition. They were encouraged to express their thoughts and understanding of A’o o te Ora (Earth Hour) through original poetry. The entries were judged on creativity and how meaningfully A’o o te Ora resonated with each student on a personal level.
Apii Mauke Principal Tapita Tereia had the honour of judging the poems, and the top three entries were awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the purua competition.
Winners of the Māori poem competition:
🥇 1st Place: Clodya Tamaka
🥈 2nd Place: Tearikiau Tararo
🥉 3rd Place: Francis Akamoeau
1st place winner Clodya Tamaka shared, “Poitirere tikae au e te mataora no ti peke mai iaku te re 1, meitaki no teia e maine Moetaua,” expressing her joy and gratitude for the opportunity.
The students received prizes that included stationery supplies from NES, along with merchandise from the Montreal Protocol and GEF-8 Plastics RESPONSE projects—both implemented by NES.
‘’Mataora tikae te apiianga i rave iatu teia ra, pera te akarongorongo atu anga i te au manako o te Tamariki, no runga i te A’O O TE ORA’’, na maine Tamaka mai ei.
