June 5 2001 Media Statement

Winners of Rio+10 children’s art competition

Environment Minister, Marian Hobbs, has announced winners of the Rio+10 children's art competition, coinciding with World Environment Day (June 5). The competition sought children’s views of our environment.

"The competition attracted more than 650 entries from around the country," Marian Hobbs said. "We were delighted with the colourful, attractive and thoughtful entries we received from so many young people."

The competition, run by the Ministry for the Environment, was in two sections: a junior section for children five to eight years old, and an intermediate section for children 9 years and older.

"A stunningly creative entry called The Spirit of New Zealand won the intermediate section for 11 year-old Lauren Rowland, from Stratford Primary School, Taranaki," Marian Hobbs said. "Lauren said she got her inspiration from the beautiful shapes and forms of Maori jade sculpture. She combined water and living things with the landscape and the beautiful colours of nature in a painting that attracted attention from the moment it arrived.

"Six-year old Ben Pepeko, from Waipawa Primary School, Hawkes Bay, had good food as well as nature on his mind. Ben won the junior section with a wool and watercolour picture called Plenty of Kina. The school says that Ben likes drawing and colouring in, and he loves eating kina. He created his picture after the whole school had been out to visit the Te Angiangi Marine Reserve."

The art competition for primary and intermediate school students is part of the Ministry for the Environment’s Rio+10 programme, which is seeking community input on the environment in preparation for next year’s World Summit on Sustainable Development.

The winners of the competition will receive $50 each and each school will receive $500 to help in improving their environment. A second prize of $25 to the artist and $250 to the school, and a third prize of $15 for the artist and $150 for the school has been awarded in each section.

The prizewinners were:

9 years and over

1 Lauren Rowland, 11 years old, Stratford Primary School, Taranaki
The Spirit of New Zealand

2 Danielle O’Leary, 11 years old, Gisborne Intermediate School, Gisborne
The Road to a Better World

3 Kendyl Morris, 9 years old, Te Awamutu Primary School, Te Awamutu
Takahe the Seeker

5-8 years

1 Ben Pekepo, 6 years old, Waipawa School, Hawkes Bay
Plenty of kina

2 Joel Claydon, 7 years old, Te Awamutu Primary School, Te Awamutu
New Zealand Swamp Birds

3= Rosa Pettinger, 8 years old, Calton Hill Primary School, Dunedin
My safe playground in the trees by the sea

3= Maria Tims, 6 years old, Hukanu School, Hamilton
If the streams are clean we are happy

All the competition entries can be viewed in the NatureSpace Discovery Centre at Te Papa over the next month. The leading entries are displayed on the wall, while other entries are in a set of 17 display folders grouped according to region.

"Later, we hope to make the pictures available for display in the regions from which they came," the Minister said.

Information:
Donna Gardner
Environmental Education Officer
Ministry for the Environment
(04) 917 7474

Kathy McNeill
Communications Manager
Ministry for the Environment
(04) 917 7464 or 025 245 0449

Media please note: An electronic copy of the winning entries can be supplied for publication if you email kat.brand@mfe.govt.nz or phone (04) 917 7490

© Scoop Media

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