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.

From Event to Action: Exploring the Impact of a Waste Minimisation Learning Day

The purpose of this event was to bring together teachers and student Envirogroups from across the eastern Coromandel to explore waste minimisation, share ideas, and be inspired to take action in their own schools. We wanted participants to gain a deeper understanding of waste —...

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Sensory garden creates a calm, safe and supportive space

It became clear that Mercury Bay Area School needed a space where all children could feel calm, safe, and supported — a space designed with intention. And so, the idea of a sensory garden was born. This sensory garden is more than just a physical...

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Recloaking Our Tūpuna Maunga: Ākonga Learning In, About and For Te Taiao

Across the volcanic landscapes of Tāmaki Makaurau, a powerful story of environmental restoration, cultural connection and learning has been unfolding. Over the past year, kura, iwi, environmental organisations and community partners have come together through a shared vision: connecting more ākonga from Kōhanga Reo and...

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Selwyn students share ideas for a more sustainable future

Tai Tapu Primary School hosted students from across Selwyn for an Enviroschools day focused on sustainability, student leadership and hands-on environmental action. Through hands-on learning, young people across Selwyn and Waitaha Canterbury are building the knowledge, skills and confidence to care for their local environment—now...

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Young Enviroleaders take action for braided rivers and to protect wrybill

Young people are stepping up as leaders for Canterbury’s environment, with ākonga (students) from Enviroschools across the Waimakariri district advocating for change and protection of braided rivers, home to unique native species such as the wrybill. The recent student-led Enviroleaders day brought together 25 participants,...

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