Our mission: Supporting young people and educators to connect with people and the environment in our place
We are a collaborative group of educators working in Wānaka and the wider Upper Clutha area, including Hāwea, Tarras and Makarora.
After coming together in 2022 to host a local connection day for the NZAEE conference, we have continued to work together to offer teacher professional learning and facilitate learning with young people from early childhood through to secondary.
Experiencing Our Place: Professional Learning
We offer free after school sessions for educators, with sessions each term at different locations and on different days, to ensure that something will work for everyone!
Please get in touch with one of our local educators / organisations if you have any suggestions for PLD in 2026.
Our Group: Organisations Involved
We work on collaborative projects, such as our professional learning sessions, but also deliver our own programmes for local ECE centres and schools.
Click on the names of the organisations to visit each website and find out more.
Highlights from previous years
Our teacher events usually include visits to some of our organisations, including the Grow Wānaka community gardens and the Te Kākano nursery. We also explore learning opportunities at a range of local reserves and restoration sites, such as wetlands, streams and parks. This can include some time watering, weeding and caring for native plants and reflecting on how to connect with te ao Maori and the history of the area.
We have also visited the Food Forest at the Hāwea Domain for a session about food resilience, community gardens, propagation opportunities and biodynamic gardens. Plastic Free July offers the perfect opportunity to visit Wastebusters and learn about tips for reducing waste from Enviroschools and local research on microplastics from WAI Wānaka. We have also connected with Wānaka Backyard Trapping at Mount Iron to discuss trapping, lizards and public submission processes.
We usually finish the year with a celebration event or fun trip, such as our boat trip out to Ruby Island at the end of 2024 (read more here). This provides a chance to reflect on the year, provide feedback about what teachers enjoyed and what they'd like to see from Natur-ED in the future.
