Whenua Iti Outdoors enjoyed the opportunity to host Hon James Meager, Minister for Youth, for a visit to our grounds in Upper Moutere. Minister Meager spent the afternoon touring the property with our CEO, Mark Bruce-Miller. He then joined an energetic group of Waimea Intermediate students as they took part in an Adventure Based Learning activity designed to learn through challenge, teamwork and fun.
The visit was a rare opportunity to show the Minister our experiential learning in action and to talk about the role outdoor experiential education plays in youth development. It was great to hear the laughter and cheers as Minister Meager and Nelson National Party candidate Blair Cameron rolled up their sleeves to take part in the game.
For Minister Meager, this was his first visit to Whenua Iti, and he was impressed by the energy and sense of purpose across the site. He reflected on the experience and the role of organisations like ours in supporting young people:
“It was a great experience visiting Whenua Iti and seeing outdoor experiential education in action, and the role this plays in youth development. It’s clear that programmes like these are building important skills and attributes for young people, like confidence, resilience, and communication. These skills transfer directly to the workplace and are known to support academic achievement in schools.”
I’m grateful for Whenua Iti’s commitment to supporting young people through their programmes for forty years now. It’s clear that their dedication to youth development in this community will continue to have long-lasting impacts for young people across the Nelson Tasman region.”
The Minister is supported in his Youth portfolio by the Ministry of Youth Development (MYD). His visit also underscores the wider work of MYD, which focuses on strength-based youth development initiatives, early intervention and community partnership funding to help young people build skills, confidence, and opportunities to thrive. Hon James Meager’s portfolio priorities include investing in programmes that improve outcomes for rangatahi, in alignment with government priorities around education and employment.
Whenua Iti is grateful for the Minister’s time, engagement and genuine interest in what we do. Hosting him here has strengthened our shared commitment to empowering young people whether through shared adventure, mentoring, leadership development, or simply supporting young hearts and minds to grow.
It was a pleasure to host the Minister for Youth and to show him our facilities and programmes in action. A chance to once again illustrate the transformative power of outdoor experiential learning for youth in New Zealand.” – Mark Bruce-Miller, CEO Whenua Iti Outdoors.
Whenua Iti Outdoors remains committed to inspiring positive change in our communities by partnering with government, iwi, schools, and community organisations. Doing all we can to ensure every young person has access to rich, transformative learning experiences that develop resilience, capability and life-long confidence.
