Creating Change

The holistic, long-term Enviroschools journey creates fertile ground for a range of learning and action.

When tamariki/ students connect with their place and its people, and then plan, design and take action, they are creating change.

Through this empowering experience, they will become life-long change-makers.  The collective exploration is based in the concept of ako, where all participants are simultaneously learners and teachers, and everybody learns from each other.  It is a process of co-creation between people and all of the elements and energies around us. Caring for our place and the whole planet becomes a living curriculum where skills and competencies are gained through experience and mahi within meaningful community settings.

In the following stories you can see how Enviroschools participants are learning with their heads, hands and hearts – connecting with nature, exploring indigenous wisdoms, forming relationships with tangata whenua, collaborating with people in their diverse communities, and finding out about their own qualities and passions.  Learning and action in Enviroschools does not just have environmental outcomes but social, cultural and economic benefits too.

Water of Life theme flows into action in Netherton

A well-designed staff meeting flowed on to flood questions and actions that has lead Netherton School students in many different directions all in the name of looking after our wai/ water. In Term 2 Enviroschools facilitator Jo Buchan ran a staff meeting at Netherton School...

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Starting a Ngahere School Programme: A Story of Curiosity, Connection, and Change

It all began with a spark of curiosity — the discovery of a pekapeka house that had been gifted to the Netherton School Envirogroup in a previous year. This small moment inspired a Year Four class to embark on an inquiry into these tiny native...

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Fun, deep and real-world learning supports ALL learners at remote Whareorino School

Whareorino School is a small, remote rural school that is deeply engaged in the Enviroschools kaupapa. Over the past two years, their Enviroschools facilitator, Cami, has been engaging with the school and has seen the broadening and deepening of their sustainability journey, grounded in connection...

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Enviroschools Big Picture at Settlement Road Early Learning

We recognised the potential of the Enviroschools "Big Picture" and wanted to introduce it to our tamariki as a way of seeing the Guiding Principles through their eyes. What beautiful moments we experienced as our tamariki took ownership over the “Big Picture” and used it...

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Green Week 2025 a huge success

Green Week 2025 was a new initiative led by Horowhenua College Envirogroup leaders, Ashlee West and Liam Roach. The idea came about from a "protect my backyard" portfolio that the Year 9 students engaged in a couple of years ago. They believed that it would...

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