During the Term 2 holidays into early Term 3, nine teams from BDSC took part in the Pest Free Howick Moth Plant Competition, coming out with three winning teams: M&M coming 9th with 3,154 pods, Fred Freddy Freddrick coming 8th with 3,270 pods, and Mothzilla 3.0 coming 5th with 6688 pods. Here’s what a couple of our winning teams had to say:
From the 30 March to 9 May, my team Fred Freddy Freddrick, Anyané De Lange 9K6, Chloe Ye 09K6 and Livia Liang 09K6 and I, participated in the Moth Plant Competition. When my team were told about the competition, we knew immediately that we were going to participate. The event was a fun and exciting way to get my friends and I together as a team to help the environment. Being able to volunteer, thanks to Pest Free Howick Ward and Service Committee, was a moment to truly treasure.
It was complicated as we had never participated before but with enthusiasm, we headed out with our gear to areas that had moth pods and small vines. We were able to enjoy the great outdoors while also having a quest in mind to get rid of any moth pods or roots that we found.
I am more aware of the moth plant vine including how it can be identified and why it is invasive by having at least a thousand seeds in a single pod! It has also sparked a curiosity in protecting the environment and learning more about it. My team are looking forward to joining again in the future.
~ Evelyn Situ 9K6
Over the April Holidays, my mum and I, together as team M&M, took on this year’s Moth Plant Competition. This year was our first time back in the competition since 2021, and it was great to see how far the competition had come. It was amazing to see how many more people were involved now, which really gave us a challenge, and we are stoked to have still placed in the top 10 for this year!
I found that this competition was beneficial for me by spending more time with my mum, as well as doing some good for our community and the environment. Living in South Auckland, there are many pest plants round our local parks and neighbourhood resulting in many long hours of hard work to get every last possible moth pod to add to our collection. Although we only placed 9th, I am really proud of our duo’s achievement, and I’m so thankful to have had the support of my mum on this fun journey!
~ Mel Vaka 13J5