Social Responsibility

Students at St Peter’s, Cambridge learn to be responsible global citizens in the context of a school that is socially responsible.

St Peter’s is a leader in sustainable practices and environmental responsibility. St Peter’s has been a member of the Enviroschools organisation for more than a decade. Our school Envirogroup allows students to become involved in sustainability projects and advocacy within the school. In 2006, our Envirogroup won an Enviroschools silver award; in 2010 it won the Waipa District Natural Heritage Education Biodiversity award for wetlands planting; and in 2012 their work made St Peter’s the first secondary school in New Zealand to gain an Enviro gold status. This award recognised our school’s commitment to energy efficiency, continued efforts to improve recycling and waste disposal, the utilisation of fair-trade and renewable resources, and the work of students and the community in ecologically significant plantings on Owl farm and on the Waikato River banks. The Envirogroup at St Peter’s works in conjunction with community organisations such as Ngāti Hauā Mahi Trust, Environment Waikato, and Lincoln University to develop scientifically robust, culturally appropriate, and sustainable outcomes for our school.

We encourage students to get involved in community service and charity work. As a school community we support a variety of annual charity fundraising events, including Daffodil Day, Relay for Life, 40 Hour Famine, and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We also have groups who visit retirement homes to share their musical or artistic talents with the residents. Our community service prefect coordinates these different events with the help of a staff member. We also encourage students to volunteer as coaches and referees at holiday sports programmes. The popular Duke of Edinburgh Award is another opportunity for students to be involved in charity and community work. Students are largely free to select an opportunity that suits them, and examples include volunteering at the SPCA, riding for the disabled, Red Cross, or the Department of Conservation. The International Baccalaureate Diploma programme includes a similar community service component.

Owl Farm is setting standards in sustainable and profitable dairy farming. OwlFarm is a joint venture between St Peter’s and Lincoln University alongside industry partners LIC, DairyNZ, Fonterra Farmsource, Ballance, PGG Wrightson Seeds, and Westpac. Owl Farm provides industry leadership by demonstrating innovative practices for dairy farmers and the wider community. Farm Focus Days are opportunities for farm owners, farm workers, and rural professionals to network and experience how Owl Farm is developing a workable blueprint of sustainable and profitable dairying. Students at St Peter’s who are interested in dairy farming also benefit from opportunities to experience this outstanding industry resource.

St Peter’s facilities are used by a wide range of community groups and organisations. We also often minimise costs for community users. These are practical ways of giving back to the community, recognising that we only have such outstanding facilities because of generous supporters. Our swimming pools, sports fields, hockey pitches, and gym are used by private instructors and trainers, for holiday programmes, and by other local schools. In 2016 St Peter’s was privileged to host the Halberg Junior Disability Games. The auditorium at St Peter’s has many external uses, among which is the use as a resource for local organisations for prizegiving ceremonies and for school shows, the auditorium has previously been provided for such occasions with no cost, baring equipment charges. Our school also offers revision courses that are open to students from other schools, and advice evenings open to other schools from around the region.