Greater Wellington Regional Council

Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui – the head of Māui’s fish. Surrounded by maunga that have witnessed much change and are draped with ngahere holding the wisdom of te taiao, it is a region where the natural elements are ever-present. Our hills, waterways, sea and wind bring nature to us every day.  

Enviroschools Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui

As the regional coordinator for Enviroschools Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui, Greater Wellington delivers a regional programme with the support of the local councils.

Enviroschools Community Facilitators guide ākonga and kaiako to learn in, about and take action for the environment. Underpinned by the Enviroschools Guiding Principles, and covering the five theme areas of Zero Waste, Energy, Living Landscapes, Water of Life and Ecological Building, Community Facilitators work alongside a school, class or enviro group to provide support and connections.

Each term there are regular networking and sharing opportunities with other kaiako, educators, schools, and centres. We regularly send out newsletters and you can join our newsletter mailing list to find out more. Or follow our Facebook page to find out what we have been doing.  Enviroschools Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui | Wellington | Facebook  

Kura Kete – walk or wheel resources for educators

Greater Wellington has created easy to use learning resources for schools and educators around active travel.  Our aim is to promote active, healthy, and safe trips to school by:

• Helping ākonga and whānau to be healthy, safe, and connected with their community.
• Helping teachers with directly relevant and immediately useful resources that ease school gate chaos.

Kura Kete resources are designed by teachers for teachers and have been trialled in local schools across the rohe.

The Travel Choice team also offers programmes directly in schools:

Pedal Ready – aimed at years 5-13, a free programme with instructors visiting schools to teach cycle skills in line with NZTA Cycle Skills guidelines

Movin’March – each year thousands of primary school students celebrate walking, biking and scooting to school through Māehe Manawa Ora – Movin’March.

Support from Enviroschools Facilitators may also be available for schools wanting to implement resources from the Kura Kete library at any time of year.  

Funding support and other resources

• Student Action Project Fund – up to $500 per project per year. Supports schools and early childhood centres to carry out projects that support native plants and wildlife. It will help students to do projects like: planting, cleaning up litter and pest animal control.  
• Student Transport Grant – up to $500 per year to support schools to explore and take action in their local environment.
• Community Environment Funds
• Stream Health Assessment Kits -  a simple and practical resource for teachers wanting to engage students in learning about the importance of water quality, ecological systems and scientific approaches.  

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“He rohe taurikura - Nui te ora o te taiao, He hapori kotahi, He manawaroa to āpōpō - An extraordinary region: a thriving environment, connected community and resilient future.” 

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