Tauranga Boys’ College Wins 2025 Enviro Challenge

The importance of collective climate action amongst youth was evident at 2025’s Enviro Challenge competition.

Organised by Sustainability Options, this year’s Enviro Challenge brought together 77 students from nine Bay of Plenty secondary schools for a one-day sustainability competition held at Tauranga Girls’ College. Made possible thanks to the sponsors: Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Whakatāne District Council, and Sustainability Options.

Tauranga Boys’ College won the Enviro Challenge Award, and Whakatāne High School received the Rising Star Award for their creativity and emerging leadership.

Back due to popular demand after a 6 year hiatus, run by Sustainability Options team members Amy Earles (leader of the 2019 Enviro Challenge winning team) and Jo Wills (a longtime organiser), the event gave students a chance to explore sustainability through five interactive activities:

• Presenting a sustainability audit of their school
• An upcycling task using a mystery box of waste materials
• A photo challenge based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals
• A structured debate on a topical environmental issue
• A sustainability quiz

The energy and creativity on the day were evident in projects like a rainwater recovery system built entirely from repurposed items. Photography entries showed impressive insight into global sustainability goals, and debates revealed a depth of critical thinking from all schools.

Students shared mahi from their kura ranging from native restoration to food sovereignty, energy and water efficiency, and local partnerships—demonstrating a strong understanding of real-world environmental challenges.

The three judges certainly had their work cut out for them and were impressed by the standard of work produced:

Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s Ilze Kruis stated “Congratulations to the winners and all the schools participating in the 2025 Enviro Challenge. Your innovative approaches to sustainability have genuinely restored my faith in the younger generation’s ability to implement impactful projects, both within your schools and in the wider environment. It’s inspiring to see the next wave of leaders step up and take action. Keep pushing forward—your efforts are more important than ever.”

“Congratulations to all the schools that participated in this year’s Enviro Challenge. It was truly inspiring to see such creative ideas, meaningful content, and passion the students brought to the event—making the judging process a very challenging one,” said Tauranga City Council’s Gabriel Hurford. “The students are all leading the way in making a positive difference, one step at a time.”

Karen Summerhayes, from Whakatāne District Council added “Congratulations to all the participating teams. It was inspiring to see the creative thinking and relevant content that was presented. Struggling to ingrain sustainable behaviour within the school community was a common theme but these young people are certainly leading the way.”

Thanks to the participating schools: Te Puke High School, Aquinas College, Pāpāmoa College, Tauranga Boys’ College, Tauranga Girls’ College, Katikati College, Ōtūmoetai College, Mount Maunganui College, and Whakatāne High School.

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