Hearing local stories
The Enviroschools Programme offers a number of opportunities for professional development and learning for new Enviroschools facilitators. One of the first steps on this professional development pathway is an “Introduction to Enviroschools” workshop. In 2025, this 3-day workshop was held in May at the ‘Home of Compassion’ in Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington, attended by a group of 16 new and developing facilitators and regional coordinators from both the ECE and school sectors.
The hui started with a beautiful mihi whakatau from the Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui Enviroschools team, welcoming and settling everyone into the space.
The hui wātaka focussed on exploring the local place, deepening knowledge and connection to the Enviroschools kaupapa, our resources, processes and tools, considering the role of the Enviroschools Facilitator and creating an understanding of mana whenua relationships and cultural safety.
We had the privilege of spending time at the whenua of Tapu Te Ranga marae and hearing about the history and te tiriti based relationship between Bruce Stewart and the nuns of the Home of Compassion.
Exploring local places
Connecting with the kaupapa
Delving into the Enviroschools resources
We created a puna mātauranga to guide our three days, and layers of information were added to this throughout the hui as participants undertook different activities.
Puna Mātauranga
The hui was facilitated by Beccy Dove, Katie Higgins and Arihia Latham from the national Enviroschools team, and participants came from Te Taitokerau, Tāmaki Makaurau, Waikato, Te Tairāwhiti, Manawatū-Whanganui, Taranaki, Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui and Ōtākou. This year, unlike the previous couple of years, we invited both ECE and school facilitators to the same hui. Having all Enviroschools facilitators together at one training reminded us of how beneficial the cross-sector relationships are. Of the 16 participants, 2 were regional coordinators, 7 were from the school sector and 7 were ECE facilitators.
The new connections, friendships and support created as a group was a highlight and we look forward to seeing all of the newly trained facilitators again soon.
“Thank you Beccy, Katie and Arihia for sharing your knowledge and time with us all. The care and kindness that you showed us all was beautiful. I’ve left feeling connected, grateful and refreshed. Arohanui.”
“A beautiful few days, looking forward to take this kete of knowledge out into the world.”