Our education team has been busy connecting tamariki and rangatahi with te taiao this term. Before we share what they’ve been doing, meet the educators bringing our programmes to life.

A familiar face to many Whāingaroa families, Amber has led our education programme for nearly ten years. With a background in early childhood teaching and personal training, she finds magic in building resilience, confidence, and wellbeing in people of all ages.

Amber’s happiest outside, exploring unexpected places (preferably where it's muddy!) and she loves seeing proud students overcome outdoor challenges.

Kylie is animal-mad and loves sharing her passion for wildlife with kids. Before joining the Karioi Project team as an educator and seabird ranger a year ago, she spent a decade volunteering with us!

She's also the founder of Raglan Native Rehabilitation and still occasionally works as a vet nurse at both Hamilton Zoo and Auckland Zoo. With a wealth of wildlife care experience, Kylie is helping inspire the next generation of kaitiaki to care for the natural world.

Since joining the education team in June, Becks has brought her sense of adventure and kaitiakitanga to our programmes. She spent eight years living abroad, but walking the length of Aotearoa on Te Araroa reminded her how precious our wild spaces are.

She loves the imagination and co-creation that come with child-led learning and is passionate about restoring our connection to the whenua to support growth and wellbeing.

Manaaki Ao Junior programme

Our in-school programmes have previously focused on the native taonga we’re protecting. This term, we’ve turned our attention to the predators they face, starting with the sneakiest of the lot – mustelids.

Tamariki from Raglan Area School and Waitetuna School are learning why stoats, weasels and ferrets are among our biggest threats, how they impact our ecosystems and the clever ways we catch them.

Hauora mentoring and outdoors programme

The next generation of kaitiaki have joined Kylie in the field this term, developing leadership skills and gaining work experience.

Rangatahi have explored places in their own backyard that they’ve never seen before, monitored ōi burrows using trail cameras, conducted kororā footprint surveys at Ngarunui Beach, explored the rocky shore, cleaned the beach, controlled weeds and joined our latest bait operation.

Releasing a kererū

Possum trapping

Building trap tunnels

One tunnel built

Karioi Rangers • Wednesdays after-school

Our Karioi Rangers, aged 9-12 years, are building their conservation and survival skills through a mix of free play and structured lessons.

From fire building and outdoor cooking to Rogaine races and scenario-based games, they’ve aced skills like map reading and navigation, flint fire starting, leave-no-trace principles and trap setting.

We’ve loved seeing their imaginations, friendships and care for the environment grow this term.

Join for term 4

Holiday programme

Our school holiday programme returns on 1, 5, 6 and 8 October.

Children aged 6–12 will play and explore across Karioi’s three ecosystems – wai (water), whenua (land) and moana (ocean) – these school holidays with Amber and Becks.

9 am–3 pm, Wairihi Park. Spaces are limited.