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.

Enviroschools ākonga practice kaitiakitanga for Wetlands in Ōtākou

A burst of activity for our native wetlands in Ōtākou has seen a growing number of Enviroschools ākonga take meaningful action to protect and restore our region's wetlands - some of New Zealand's most vital yet threatened ecosystems. Check out the story below to find...

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Kaitiakitanga and Community shine through at Carterton Kindergarten

This year, Carterton Kindergarten was honoured by the Enviroschools Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui team with the Māui Dolphin Print Taonga o Kaitiakitanga. Their deep connection to the local community and ongoing reflection on their mahi means that every visit reveals new layers...

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Celebration of Learning at Berhampore School

Two buddy classes from Berhampore School in Wellington invited the rest of their school and local ECE, The Park Early Learning, along to a Celebration of Learning about Pae Kawakawa awa. To share their learning a few students from each buddy class were leaders at...

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A New Nature Exploration Space in Marlbrough

Last year saw a strong focus on Nature Connection spread across schools and ECE centres in Marlborough. In recognition of this and to celebrate 20 years of Enviroschools in Marlborough, the Environmental Education team explored some options to give back to the community. The result...

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Experiences of the New Enviroschools Holistic Process in Waikato

In 2025, the Waikato Enviroschools team organised an online professional development (PD) hui to share the revised Holistic Reflection process with teachers in the region.  Lead Teachers from Elstow-Waihou Combined School, Pirongia School and Matangi Primary who had used the process in Term 4 of...

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