Te Whai Mātauranga
Education
EDUCATION“Restore balance. Most kids have technology, school and extracurricular activities covered. It’s time to add a pinch of adventure, a sprinkle of sunshine and a big handful of outdoor play.”
- Penny Whitehouse
Environmental education is a key element of the Karioi Project. We connect tamariki and rangatahi with nature, to foster an appreciation and understanding of ecology and the local environment to encourage kaitiakitanga and behavioural change. We have created place-based, outdoor learning experiences and environmental education programmes for young people, our community and schools. We have educated and trained over 1000 children and youth via our after-school environmental education programmes and in-school Manaaki Ao education programme run in partnership with Raglan Area School. Six alumni from the Manaaki Ao programme have been employed by the Karioi Project.
We also run school holiday programmes, educational workshops, training days, camps and field trips. Our education programmes are focused on Whāingaroa’s unique mountain-to-sea landscape, providing an opportunity for place-based experiential learning in various ecosystems, based on three themes - wai/water, moana/sea and whenua/land.
Our education vision
Connecting people to nature and inspiring them to be caretakers.
Our education mission
Environmental education through hands-on experiential learning in our own backyard.
After-school programmes
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Karioi KIDS provide a broad range of activities and opportunities that are challenging, physical, conservation-focused and fun, connecting kids to their local backyard. Children explore and learn about predator monitoring and trapping, bush survival, self-management and risk assessment, health & safety, orienteering, outdoor cooking, bush, stream, harbour, and rocky shore ecosystems. We might do scavenger hunts, beach clean-ups, water safety skills, animal and plant identification and much more. Questions?
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Through place-based experiential learning, the Karioi RANGERS programme engages young people in hands-on conservation and leadership opportunities. Activities are based around the diverse ecosystems of Karioi with a focus on water, land and sea. We encourage students to explore the natural world and think about inter-relationships and ecological contexts while developing leadership skills and confidently interacting with their peers. Questions?
Environmental holiday programme
The Karioi Environmental Holiday Programme offers children (6-12 years) a broad range of activities and opportunities during school holidays. These activities are challenging, physical, nature-focused and fun, connecting kids to their local backyard based on a free-play philosophy. The programme is based around the diverse range of Karioi ecosystems - whenua, wai and moana and the wider Waikato Region.
Children explore while learning about themselves and a range of activities including hut building, predator control, outdoor cooking, scavenger hunts, and exploring native species ecosystems in surrounding bush, streams, estuaries and rocky shores. Questions?
Programmes with schools
The Living Classroom
The Living Classroom Programme brings learning to life — whether in the classroom, the bush or by the sea, it connects tamariki and rangatahi to te taiao through hands-on, inquiry-based learning. Tailored to your group’s goals, each session explores ecosystems, biodiversity, and conservation science, guided by te ao Māori values of kaitiakitanga and whanaungatanga. From half-day workshops to multi-day camps, students build teamwork, curiosity, and real-world understanding while discovering pathways into conservation and sustainability.
Manaaki Ao (Earthcare)
The Manaaki Ao programme at Raglan Area School is based on a student-led, enquiry-learning and community-based philosophy. Rangers, scientists, environmental professionals and community experts scaffold students’ learning and assist them in developing concepts and skills focused on kaitiakitanga - environmental sustainability, ecology, biodiversity, native taonga, innovation, sustainable actions, leadership, and safety in the outdoors. Manaaki Ao is a pathway to employment in conservation, ecosystem restoration, environmental/resource management and sustainable technologies from junior years up to NCEA level.
Hauora Mentoring & Outdoors Programme
The Mental Health Foundation and Māori Health model describe the importance of whenua and connection to the land. Time spent in nature and connecting with Papatūānuku can improve the hauora / well-being of our youth. Whāingaroa and our beautiful maunga are the perfect settings for our bespoke mentoring programme, creating learning opportunities outside the traditional classroom for rangatahi - especially at-risk youth. With a focus on reconciliation, leadership, volunteer and work experience, the Hauroa Mentoring Programme aims to support the next generation of kaitiaki and promotes resilience and well-being for our younger generation.
Vocational Pathways
Te Ara Mahi Programme
Te Ara Mahi offers rangatahi in Whāingaroa hands-on experience in environmental conservation, bridging the gap between school and the workforce. Through structured internships, volunteering, and field-based learning, participants gain practical skills in predator control, biodiversity monitoring, restoration, and community engagement. Working alongside experienced mentors, they build confidence, teamwork, and leadership while contributing to local conservation goals. Whether heading toward further study, training, or employment, Te Ara Mahi empowers young people to explore meaningful pathways in sustainability — growing as capable kaitiaki and future leaders.
What people are saying
“Being introduced to the Karioi Project allowed me to delve into my curiosity about our native ecosystems and collaborate on strategies to protect them. The experiences I gained during this programme have profoundly influenced my path.”
— Lenny Reynolds, Manaaki ao alumnus
“Thank you to the Karioi Team for the outstanding programmes you are offering in our community. Ravi loves the Karioi Rangers! Your afternoon learning experiences are exciting, innovative and interesting. We are grateful to the professional kaiako and hope you continue to offer this outstanding programme for our rangatahi.”
— Ravi’s dad, Karioi Rangers Fan
“It was an absolute pleasure to host you! Loved the history and stories that go with the plants and your way of teaching the info was just superb. Thanks so much for what you do, it makes what we do that much richer and to know we're all on the same path for future generations is inspiring.”
— Sioux, Matapihi, early childhood educator.
“Thank you so much for the last two days learning about the ōi. Both students and teachers really enjoyed it. They were absolutely buzzing about their burrows and enjoyed role-playing after you left, protecting their burrows, "puking up" food for their babies, flying, catching squid... it was cool!!”
— Whaea Kim, Raglan Area School
