Countdown Growing for Good Grants

Growing for Good was launched in 2018, and aims to help encourage Aotearoa’s next generation of budding environmentalists, gardeners and conservationists.  So far we’ve funded $50,000 of cool little projects right across the country in schools and early childhood centres! 

We’re excited to be running this grants programme again in 2021, and this year we’ve increased the funding pool to $50,000 to help even more schools and ECEs.

Examples of projects we’ve funded before are installing beehives and chicken coops in schools, building and improving fruit and vege gardens to help feed a school community, investigating maramataka, growing Māori medicinal plants, and reducing food waste.

All New Zealand primary and intermediate schools and early childhood centres are eligible to apply. You can apply for up to $2000 per school or ECE.

Applications are now open!
Applications close: Sunday, 21 March 2021
Funding available: start of Term 2 2021

Guidelines for the grants can be found here. 

Apply now - here.

Any questions, please email growingforgood@countdown.co.nz

2019 Grant Recipients (in alphabetical order):

Best Start North Road (Invercargill)

  • Install a vegetable garden for the school and local community


Best Start Tawa (Wellington)

  • Plant a vegetable garden from unused space to help feed the children for lunch.

 
First Years Learning Centre (Whanganui)

  • Build a community garden and orchard to support the school menu and provide help feed food for local families.

 
Greenwood Kindergarten (Tasman)

  • Introduce an automated watering system for their garden

 
Hastings Intermediate (Hastings)

  • Learn about the tikanga of harakeke and the rongoā of Māori medicinal plants through the planting and harvesting of these

 
Hatea-a-Rangi School (Tokomaru Bay)

  • Build a chicken coop to house six chickens

 
Hikuai School (Coromandel)

  • Create a bee-friendly garden in preparation for beehives

 
Huia Range School (Manawatu)

  • Build a greenhouse to assist students gardening club and creating a compost

 

Kokatahi - Kowhitirangi (Hokitika)

  • Plant an orchard to help with school lunches

 
John Street Kindergarten (Waimate)

  • Install a worm farm and add to their current vegetable garden

 
Makara Model School (Wellington)

  • Build a chicken coop

 
Mangere Central School (Auckland)

  • Build a chicken coop 

 
Manurewa Playcentre (Auckland)

  • Plant a vegetable garden

 
Marewa Primary School (Hawkes Bay)

  • Protect and grow the vegetable gardens and orchard as well as building a community pantry

 
Opawa School (Christchurch)

  • Grow a fruit orchard

 
Otane School (Hawkes Bay)

  • Grow a fruit orchard

 
Pauatahanui School (Porirua)

  • Grow a food forest 

 
Portobello Kindergarten (Dunedin)

  • Plant a vegetable garden and wildlife friendly planting

 
Puaka Bush School (Whakatane)

  • Making a recycled greenhouse to develop the local native bush

 
Pukerua Bay School (Wellington)

  • Revitalisation of our native skink garden and restoration of our planting tables and storage benches in the community shade house

 
Pukete School (Hamilton)

  • Create water butt to collect rainwater for vegetable garden 

 
Rapaura School (Marlborough)

  • Supporting their native tree planting with mulch

 
Rosebank School (Auckland)

  • Native planting to increase local wildlife

 
Roslyn Maori Hill Playcentre (Dunedin)

  • Build a greenhouse to provide produce all year round

 
Rotokawa Primary (Rotorua)

  • Build a bee and insect friendly garden

 
St Patrick’s Te Awamutu (Te Awamutu)

  • Joining the Trees for Survival national programme

 
Tangowahine School (Dargaville)

  • Continue to enhance their native planting

 
Te Pā Harakeke o Te Awahou Inc (Manawatu)

  • Create a sensory garden

 
Te Pukeiti Early Childhood Centre (Te Kuiti)

  • Build a chicken coop

 
The CubbyHouse Napier Road (Palmerston North)

  • Build a chicken coop to help reduce food waste

 
Tiddlywinks Preschool Ltd (Ashburton)

  • Install a beehive

 
Timaru South School (Timaru)

  • Grow fruits to feed the school’s breakfast club four days a week

 
Victory Primary School (Nelson)

  • Set up a compost system for the school

 
West Rolleston Primary School (Christchurch)

  • Extend the vegetable garden and create a native tree area