NZ Teacher Leads 29-Year Student Drive to Restore Native Coastal Habitat

Retired New Zealand teacher Janet Pottinger dedicated 29 years to an environmental restoration project along the country's West Coast. Beginning in 1997, she guided Buller High School students in planting native vegetation at Tauranga Bay and Cape Foulwind. Over the course of 108 trips, approximately 2,800 students collectively planted 12,425 native plants in the area. The initiative successfully transformed what was once open grassland into a thriving coastal habitat. The restored land now supports a range of native wildlife, including birds, seals, and lizards.