Abstract
The Enviroschools Programme has been operating in Aotearoa New Zealand schools since the late 1990s (Enviroschools 2016). Responding to calls at the 1992 Earth Summit for education towards sustainability, it began as a local government and community partnership initiative focused on empowering young people to be capable of thinking and acting for a sustainable future. Its distributed leadership model of central direction with local delivery has both enhanced its survival through political change, and provided scope for local contexts to guide delivery and interpretation. Underpinning the Programme has been a kaupapa (purpose/philosophy) of action-learning, a cultural responsiveness which particularly draws on perspectives from the indigenous Māori world, and which sees whole schools as connecting to communities and the environment.
There are currently 1200 schools and kindergartens involved in the programme throughout the country. Programme evaluation suggests outcomes in citizenship, environmental and educational enhancement, social and cultural development and integration of sustainability into economic planning. Enviroschools also report substantial positive influence on interaction with families and the wider community, as well as improvements in the sustainability of the physical environment. The Programme continues to grow within the constraints of fluctuating political support and funding. This chapter discusses how a strong kaupapa has contributed to the success of Enviroschools and the range of outcomes in community and environment.
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We gratefully acknowledge Tuihana Bosch of Te Mauri Tau for her advice in preparing this chapter.
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Eames, C., Mardon, H. (2020). The Enviroschools Programme in Aotearoa New Zealand: Action-Orientated, Culturally Responsive, Holistic Learning. In: Gough, A., Lee, J.CK., Tsang, E.P.K. (eds) Green Schools Globally. International Explorations in Outdoor and Environmental Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46820-0_4
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