Orini Combined School Working Bee

On Saturday 9th September, we rolled into Orini Combined School for Working Bee #35, our first build in the Waikato, and one that came with a story we couldn’t ignore.

Late in 2022, a massive oak tree was uprooted in a storm and came crashing straight through a classroom. Luckily it happened over the weekend and no one was hurt, but it left a pretty big mark on the school. Now here’s the twist, “Oke” is the Māori word for oak tree, but it also means to strive, to keep going, to push through. So when we heard about it, it felt like one of those moments where you don’t overthink it, you just show up, so we reached out to the school to build a new outdoor classroom.

And show up they did. The whole Orini community got in behind this one; parents, whānau, staff, kids, all hands on deck, sleeves rolled up, getting stuck in. That’s what these builds are really about. Not just what gets built, but who builds it.

Fast forward a few hours, and thanks to support from GrainCorp, that same school now has something new in its place. Not just a garden, but a space built by its community, where kids can get hands-on, teachers can breathe a bit easier, and learning looks a whole lot more real than four walls and a whiteboard.🌱❤️