Nature School NZ Trust

Nature School NZ Trust are a registered charity, established in 2018. Our purpose is getting as many as possible NZ children learning from and through play in nature.  We do this in three ways:

• Working with Schools and ECE providers to set up Bush Sprouts programmes in their local bush.
• We run the Nature School programme, our 1 day School that runs four days a week at Battle Hill, Kaitawa Reserve and Bothamley Park in Porirua East.  Our passionate, experienced and skillful kaiako empower children through freeplay in nature, to play, grow, learn, lead, question, make mistakes, work through emotions, connect with nature and so much more!
• We also run Bush Sprouts holiday programmes each School holidays.

Trust House Foundation funding has helped us with starting our new Porirua East Nature School.  This is a fee free Nature play programme, similar to those we offer elsewhere, but operating in a high deprivation area.  We provide the programme and all the equipment, resources, food etc at no cost. Trust House Foundation funding has been used to purchase resources like rainwear, gumboots, shelter, warm clothing etc for our ākonga to use when out in nature with us, as well as supporting our use of a van to transport ākonga from and back to their School.

This will have a big impact on many Porirua East Children. Children who play in nature with us emerge empowered, with gains in confidence, thinking skills, fitness, resilience, social competence and in touch with te taiao.  This programme caters for those who might have extra learning needs or may usually miss out on experiences like this; enabling happy and healthy children.

Find out more from our website : www.natureschoolnz.co.nz