Training environmental leaders on the West Coast

Delivered in partnership with the Mōkihinui-Lyell Backcountry Trust and based at their Rough and Tumble Bush Lodge on the doorstep of the Kahurangi National Park, the nine-day, immersive and phone-free programme was designed to nurture students’ appreciation for the natural world and their sense of responsibility for looking after it.

Focusing on conservation from both Western and te ao Māori perspectives, students engaged with local conservation initiatives in the Kawatiri region, exploring environmental management and kaitiakitanga (guardianship) principles in action.

The origins of the programme align with a long-held dream by the Mōkihinui-Lyell Backcountry Trust, who are seeking to incorporate social impact via regenerative, outdoor education into their work.

“We fully believe in the value that can be gained from people spending time in the outdoors,” says Mōkihinui-Lyell Backcountry Trust trustee Glenn Irving, who has been instrumental in this vision. “This has grown into a desire to develop a model that not only gives to the participants but also provides them with an opportunity to play a part in protecting and enhancing the environment they are in.”

The natural wilderness of Kawatiri/Buller served as a perfect platform for students to build awareness and understanding of conservation issues. Activities included riparian planting, building predator traps, pack frame building, and creating a new trapline at Gentle Annie Campground.

“When designing this programme we had four clear outcomes that we wanted to achieve,” says Whenua Iti instructor Taylor Bruning. “Deepening students’ appreciation for nature; connecting students with te ao Māori; critically thinking about what impact our actions have on the environment; and showing students some clear pathways that they can follow beyond school that can meaningfully sustain our environment. I feel like we wholeheartedly achieved these goals.”

The programme equipped students with skills needed for active conservation work, while also supporting their confidence, resilience, leadership, and sense of belonging. Through hands-on conservation work and shared challenges, students walked away with a renewed sense of purpose and responsibility for the world around them.

“The course has given me so much more confidence in myself and to just be me,” reflected Abby (one of the participants). “We all need to be kaitiaki and look after our environment for future generations. This programme has opened my eyes to new career paths for what I want to do after school.”

Nine days without devices created optimal conditions for students to come out of their shell, connect and support each other. Participant Lavinya Jayasinghe says her highlights were the people she met and being immersed in such a beautiful location.

“The programme has deepened my passion for helping our environment and has made me better adapted to working in a team. It was a very fun, hands-on, and informative way to learn about NZ predators, survival skills and the flora and fauna around us,” she said.

Glenn is hopeful for further programmes like this that bring people and nature together to achieve broader outcomes.

“From my perspective, the programme achieved all that we hoped it would and gave us confidence that there is real value in what we are trying to do. If we can continue to develop this programme, we hope to contribute significant benefit to the local environment, deepen students’ appreciation of and connection to the wild West Coast, and enable our young people to confidently lead change for the better in their local environments and communities.”

“This course was made possible through the support of a great team of funders. The West Coast Community Trust were the initial funders that gave the project wings to fly so we are incredibly grateful for their belief in what we were trying to achieve. Other contributors to the programme include NBS, the Kawatiri Nature Environment and Communities Trust and the West Coast Trades Academy, all of whom helped to make this first course possible,” he added.