Kristin School pupils, from left, Lillian Zhang, Emma Lee, Jacqueline Tsui and Lorreta Wang, ate vegan for two weeks to raise awareness about factory farming.

It seemed like a daunting task. Two weeks without things like meat, eggs, honey, or milk.

That's what friends Lillian Zhang, Emma Lee, Lorreta Wang and Jacqueline Tsui thought when they decided to try eating vegan as part of a school project about factory farming.

EMILY FORD/FAIRFAX NZ Best friends Rosa MacDonald, left, and Isla Lewis donated sports equipment and clothes to refugee children in New Zealand.

In fact, it turned out to be easier than expected for the year 6 Kristin School pupils, based on Auckland's North Shore.

"I found giving up meat easy because my favourite foods are not meat," Emma says.

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"After doing this inquiry, I learnt that animals can't be treated like that," Lorreta says. "You can eat potatoes or something, there's lots of other things you can eat."

Lillian, Emma, Lorreta and Jacqueline also visited a farm in Kumeu to see animal living conditions and researched SAFE for information about animal products.

"Factory farming harms animals and the planet. Because they have so many animals and they have to put the waste somewhere," Jacqueline says.

The project is part of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme at Kristin School.

Year 6 pupils spent a term researching causes they're passionate about, including things like bees and homelessness, which culminated in a week-long exhibition for family and friends.

Best friends Rosa MacDonald and Isla Lewis focused on refugees and the effects of seeking refuge in New Zealand for their project.

"Since there was lots on the news last year, we heard about it and we thought it would be a good idea to research more about it," Isla says.

Rosa and Isla visited the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre and met children their age who now live in New Zealand with their families.

The pair then organised donations of sports equipment and clothes to donate to the refugee children. They say it was amazing and touching meeting with the children.

"It was quite amazing how friendly they were when you consider all that they've been through. They learnt English really quickly," Isla says.

"The whole thing really stuck with us. We learnt that refugees aren't always happy when they come to New Zealand."

The girls plan to pack Christmas shoebox donations to continue helping those less fortunate than them.