Bree Arnott

powelliphanta snail on the forest floor

Unexpected Powelliphanta Find Post Flooding

A highlight for students on the Environmental Sustainability Trades Programme, was to discover a healthy Powelliphanta snail in a flood-damaged part of the Te Hoiere/Pelorus River Catchment, where it was thought they wouldn’t have survived. Students spent the first week of this programme in the Te Hoiere/Pelorus River area to build an understanding of kaitiakitanga […]

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student paddling a kayak

Our journey in creating inclusive outdoor experiences

A partnership with Sport New Zealand | Ihi Aotearoa and the Halberg Foundation has helped us to remove barriers for disabled tamariki and rangatahi to experience outdoor recreation at Whenua Iti Outdoors. Hearing that tamariki and rangatahi in our rohe (region) are missing out on experiences with us always sparks a desire to find a

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Kaimahi for Nature Connection Project reaches Te Tai Poutini tamariki

Whenua Iti have recently run the first Tamariki Tiaki Nature Connection Programmes for Westport North, Westport South & St Canice’s Schools The programmes are designed to connect tamariki to environmental sites of local significance by focusing on nature connection experiences that are fun and engaging for the students, but also align with the school curriculum

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Whenua Iti Take New Programmes to Te Tai Poutini

Whenua Iti Outdoors (WIO) are expanding their range of programmes delivered on the West Coast to further support rangatahi, tamariki and the wider community of Te Tai Poutini.  “We have been working alongside other youth support organisations on the West Coast to look for opportunities to be involved where it’s needed most,” says Mark Bruce-Miller,

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Leadership Ignited in Youth thanks to a Generous Donor

The first graduates of the MHS Ignite Youth Development Programme were recently celebrated when they arrived back at the Whenua Iti base from their final journey. Each year, a group of Year 9 students are selected to join this Programme, during which they will participate in a total of six weeks of wilderness-based and adventurous

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Planting brings generations together at Waimeha/Waimea Inlet

Young participants (aged 7-12yrs) who took part in Whenua Iti Outdoors (WIO) holiday programmes had a beautiful afternoon planting trees with Rotary Club members at Rough Island on the Waimeha /Waimea Inlet. The planting contributed to the work of the Waimea Inlet Restoration Group, who have been funded by Jobs for Nature to bring back

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Nature Connection activities well received by schools & tamariki

The nature connection programmes run so far this year at Whenua Iti have connected almost 1,000 tamariki with outdoor experiences to develop a love of nature that supports their learning, wellbeing & sense of belonging. A highlight for local primary schools has been the Mini Outdoor & Environmental Adventurers Programmes that are offered to the

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Civil Defence Students Get Involved on the Flood-Hit Coast.

Students on the Civil Defence Emergency Response (CDER) Programme with Whenua Iti Outdoors have just had an amazing experience on Te Tai Poutini/West Coast where they have spent the week connecting in with volunteers, LandSAR & Buller Civil Defence to learn first-hand about the huge coordinated response that is underway to the devastating flooding that

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Nature Connection Seminar Well Attended

It was great to see such a wonderful response to our Nature Connection seminar last week with over 60 people coming together to learn from Steve Porteous of Human Bushcraft and Wild Living about simple ways in which to establish nature connection with their students and in their own lives. Teachers, parents and local community organisations including Tasman

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Adventure Holiday Programmes Sought After

Whenua Iti Outdoors have just had the busiest summer holiday ever, with a total of 137 children through on 11 different holiday programmes that catered for ages from 7 right through to 18, all with a focus on adventure-based activities that provide positive learning experiences in the outdoors.  The same experienced staff who deliver our core education programmes throughout the school

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Tasman Mission a Hit!

Tamariki had a blast during the Tasman Mission event held on site at Whenua Iti Outdoors. Primary Schools from around the district arrived on a sunny Friday morning to take part in a fun event organised by the Tasman District Council that coordinated various ‘stations’ where teams faced fun environmentally-themed challenges to tackle together. This is the second time the

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Win a prize with WIO during Get Outdoors Week!

Get Outdoors Week runs from 14th – 22nd November, and to celebrate getting outdoors, Whenua Iti are giving away a Macpac pack for your next adventure. From the 14th of November we will be hiding 3 caches around some of our favourite outdoors spots in the Motueka area that can be accessed by families so

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WIO Finalists in Sustainable Business Awards

WIO are thrilled to be among the finalists in the NZ Sustainable Business Awards! Whenua Iti have been named as finalists in 2 categories. The Social Impactor Category, which recognises businesses that bring about positive change for their environment & communities; and a new award for Resilience in Crisis that acknowledges the ability for businesses to pivot in

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New Obstacle Course at Whenua Iti!

Next time you visit Whenua Iti there’s a new Obstacle Course to tackle! We are excited to have our new Obstacle Course open for action. With thanks to funding from the Tasman District Council and the generosity of locals who donated materials for construction, we now have a fantastic course for programme participants to tackle

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Inspiring Future Leaders at WIO

Our future leaders were brought together in the school holidays from across Nelson and Tasman to attend an Inspiring Leaders programme at Whenua Iti Outdoors.  This was the first time the programme has been run, thanks to the funding from Tasman District & Nelson Councils who gave Year 12 students from around the region the opportunity to develop their leadership skills. The students were identified by their schools as having the potential to

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Biodiversity the Focus of New Programme at WIO

Whenua Iti Outdoors has designed the new ‘Predator Control & Conservation’ programme for secondary students to teach the importance of biodiversity management in which students will get to participate in practical, field-based community conservation projects.  The first Predator Control & Conservation Programme is set to kick off in Term 3 as part of the funded Trades Academy

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Keeping informed about Covid-19

Our site is open, and programmes are running again with some changes to adapt to current restrictions. Trades Academy programmes will recommence on 25th May. Enrolments are open for our mid year Trades Academy programmes. We will continue to keep you informed about any changes to our programmes – see below. FOR HEALTH AND EDUCATION

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Top 5 Things I’ve Learnt From My Students (v.2)

Kia Ora Whānau Joni Here.  I’m back again with my yearly blog post! You may remember that I wrote a blog about ‘The things that I’ve learnt from students as an instructor’ where I reflected on the work of 2018. I wrote about how lucky I was to help facilitate growth in our amazing young

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experiential learning activities

My Manaaki Tāpoi Journey – A Student’s Voice

I have been privileged enough over the last three years to have graduated from the Manaaki Tāpoi Level 2, Level 3, and Level 3 Extension programmes. The Mānaaki Tāpoi programme is a 4-week block course run by Whenua Iti Outdoors for senior kura tuarua students from Te Tai o Poutini and Te Tau Ihu o

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community involvement in motueka, nelson, richmond and tasman

Motueka Vocational Pathways is Launched

As of November 2019, WIO will be running the first Motueka Vocational Pathways (MVP) Programme on behalf of Vision Motueka, as part of their initiative to create a more youth-friendly Motueka. MVP has been established in recognition of the challenges of transitioning into the workforce that face a number of young people once they leave

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