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Te Whāriki Climate Change Resources for Tamariki and Kaiako

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Te Whāriki Climate Change Resources for Tamariki and Kaiako

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This resource provides strategies, activities, curriculum links and stories of practice to inspire learning journeys towards Climate Change Action as well as links to reference resources and organisations.

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Featured in Te Wāhi Tiaki Tātou e-pānui June 2026 Article by Orini Rokx-Taratu - Future Unity and Lenaia Nore-Grace & Benny Keizer - Taiohi Taiao - Tides & Tracks 2026

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Future Unity Rangatahi Youth Week Event - 20 May 2026

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Future Unity Rangatahi Youth Week Event - 20 May 2026

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Ko Au Te Taiao, Te Taiao Ko Au

One of the recommendations from the Porirua Assembly on Climate is to create more opportunities for rangatahi to set their own kaupapa and be involved in leadership and decision-making.

As part of Youth Week 2026, 77 rangatahi from across Porirua and Te Awakairangi came together at Battle Hill Regional Park – Horokiri Valley for Ko Au Te Taiao, a youth-led day of learning, connection, and exploration in te taiao.

The event provided an opportunity for young people to build relationships, deepen their understanding of the environment, and experience the power of coming together around shared challenges and aspirations.

Led by rangatahi and supported by community partners the day encouraged young people to strengthen their relationships and explore their role as kaitiaki and leaders.

Rangatahi organisers reflected, “Being together as a community helped us to share our knowledge and support connection. We were able to learn from each other and also help each other recognise the leadership we already carry."

This kaupapa aligns strongly with the vision of Future Unity, which brings rangatahi together to connect across schools, cultures, and communities to grow leadership, belonging, and collective action.

By connecting rangatahi with each other and with te taiao,  Ko Au Te Taiao demonstrated the importance of investing in the next generation of leaders, and community builders.

Ngā mihi nui to Greater Wellington Regional Council, Papa Taiao Earthcare, Enviroschools, Radical Action Grants, Porirua City Council, Predator Free Porirua & Conservation Volunteers and everyone who helped make this day possible.

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Featured in Te Wāhi Tiaki Tātou e-pānui March 2026

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Climate change can often feel overwhelming. The scale of the challenge is immense and the solutions can seem distant. But in Porirua, something quietly powerful is happening and our schools are helping lead the way.

Last year the city hosted the Porirua Assembly on Climate, bringing together mana whenua, community members and rangatahi to answer the question: Learning to live with Porirua’s changing world together: How do we connect and respond as our climate changes? The Assembly was a first for Aotearoa, and in many ways a first internationally, bringing together mana whenua, community members and young people in a Tiriti-based process to deliberate.

One of the most powerful contributions came from tamariki and rangatahi themselves.

Young people from schools across Porirua shared their concerns about the world they will inherit through poetry, waiata and art. When they presented their whakaaro to Assembly participants, many adults said it changed how they saw the challenge ahead.

But what came next may be even more important.

Instead of the Assembly recommendations sitting on a shelf, a small group of passionate educators across Porirua decided to pick up the challenge and formed an Education Workstream to explore how climate learning could become a living part of the local curriculum.

In late February this year that work took a major step forward.

Forty-five teachers, including principals, primary kaiako, secondary educators and early childhood teachers, gathered at Pātaka to establish the Porirua Community of Practice on Climate Education. They came from twenty-five schools and ten kindergartens across the city.

That kind of turnout does not happen by accident. In the months leading up to the hui, organisers contacted every principal in Porirua to invite their schools to be part of implementing the Assembly’s climate recommendations. What followed was a day filled with conversation, reflection and shared commitment.

Kaiako heard the story of the Assembly and the role rangatahi played within it. They visited the Mutumutu ki Mukukai exhibition curated by Ngāti Toa Rangatira, which tells the story of land loss, environmental damage and the long journey to restore the harbour. They explored how local knowledge, mātauranga Māori and scientific understanding can work together in climate education.

Most importantly, they sat together as educators and asked a simple question: What are we already doing, and how can we build on it?

Across Porirua, students are already planting trees, restoring soil, exploring the science of climate systems, and learning about the history of their local environment. They are visiting the harbour, learning where their food once came from, and asking hard questions about how we care for our whenua and moana.

The difference now is that teachers are beginning to connect this work across schools.

Rather than isolated projects happening in individual classrooms, educators are forming a network to share ideas, resources and support. The seeds of a city-wide community of practice have been planted.

For kaiako, the motivation is clear. As one teacher reflected after the hui, the collaboration “brings such hope and innovation in tumultuous times.”

That hope matters, with schools today facing enormous pressure. Curriculum changes, resource constraints and competing priorities mean teachers are constantly asked to do more with less. Yet despite those pressures, Porirua’s educators are stepping forward because they recognise something fundamental: climate learning cannot be separated from the lives of the children they teach, it is their future, it is their now!

For many tamariki in Porirua, climate change is not the only issue they face. Housing and kai security, health challenges and economic pressures are often much closer to home. But connecting young people with Te Taiao, with our harbour - Te Awarua o Porirua, the whenua and their cultural identity, builds something deeper than knowledge.

It builds belonging. It builds agency.

When young people understand their place in the world, they begin to see that they have a role in shaping its future.

Climate action is often framed as something governments must solve. But lasting change also grows in the everyday places where communities learn and act together.

In Porirua, that work is already underway in our classrooms.

If you would like to tautoko this kaupapa — by sharing resources, contributing a koha toward our next hui, or offering your skills — please contact: porirua.assembly@ngatitoa.iwi.nz.

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NZCER

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Annual Calendar Dates for Environmental contexts for learning

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Annual Calendar Dates for Environmental contexts for learning

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Starters and Strategies

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Drain Art - Stormwater - Enviroschools Resource

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Drain Art - Stormwater - Enviroschools Resource

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Drains for Rain Resource booklet Feb 2026

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NZCER - Rachel Bolstad and Sinead Overbye

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Research Briefing 5_Climate Justice_What is it

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Scroll down to video of Letters to my Mokopuna

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Education Pataka Toa — Te Rūnanga O Toa Rangatira

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Too Good To Waste - Maimoatia Kei Moumou

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Too Good To Waste - Maimoatia Kei Moumou

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Recycling Game -Kemu Hangarua, Rangatahi designed, produced by Hutt City Council

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Find out more about the process, outcomes and resources created on this inspiring, tiriti based journey of community led learning.

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This link takes you to the Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui - Wellington Region page

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Ideas take root after an inspirational event

Enviroschools facilitates opportunities for students to connect with one another and also to their place. With research showing that mindfulness and being in nature can mitigate anxiety, the value of this kind of interaction is clear. An event hosting renowned primatologist and conservationist, Jane Goodall provides a catalyst for students to strengthen these connections.

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Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui - Wellington Region The head of the fish of Māui . . . Wairarapa Moana - the freshwater eye; Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour) - the saltwater eye; Palliser Bay - the mouth of the fish; Remutaka and Tararua ranges -...

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Garden to Table

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A creative comparison of a Disco Party to the Composting Process ;) 

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A creative comparison of a Disco Party to the Composting Process ;) 

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Garden To Table

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There's a Party in the Compost Bin Taster Resource

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Deepa Goswami PhD NZCR research Food Waste Literacy

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Community voices from the Porirua Assembly on Climate

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Community voices from the Porirua Assembly on Climate

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A video capture of the essence of this kaupapa (21.50 mins)

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Printable PDF of Vision and Recommendations 

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Printable PDF of Vision and Recommendations 

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Enviroschools Climate education and action

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Enviroschools Climate education and action

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Enviroschools National Team

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NZAEE - NZ Association of Environmental Education website

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NZAEE - NZ Association of Environmental Education website

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Highly recommend familiarising with this website and subscribing to the termly newsletter

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Nau Mai, Haere Mai. Welcome to NZAEE: Educating for Sustainability | Te Mauri o te Taiao

We are currently rebuilding our website to provide a lot more resources for environmental and sustainability education, and provide a directory of providers, making it easier for teachers and providers of programmes to connect and work together.

Keep en eye out on the NZAEE Facebook page for updates, or Join NZAEE to ensure that you are on our mailing list.

Recent Webinars
Introducing the Education for Sustainability (EfS) Achievement Standards for Level 2 and 3
In this webinar we invited Andrea Soanes and Lyn Rogers to introduce the NCEA Education for Sustainability Achievement Standards, and then teacher Kate Rivers talked about how they have been introduced as part of the sustainability programme at Rangi Ruru in Ōtautahi with two of her students.

Webinar slides, with extra links
Zui video file (59 minutes)
Environmental and sustainability education can be a useful context for integrated learning and community connection.

Our webinar, "Partnerships to support your Primary Programme" was designed for primary teachers and school leaders to demonstrate how partnerships with external local providers can enhance leaning and create more opportunities for community connection.

We were pleased to welcome Sally Carson, Director of NZ Marine Studies Centre talking about the Marine Metre Squared programme, and Paul Murray, a Zero Waste educator with Para Kore, based in Waikato.
Sally Carson video file (17 minutes) Paul Murray video file (25 minutes)

Rachel Bolstad slides
Di Christenson slides Marty Taylor slides
Follow us on Facebook for updates and sector information

Kia kotahi, tapatahi tātou. Let us all unite together side by side.

The New Zealand Association for Environmental Education (NZAEE) aims to represent a vibrant and connected sector to ensure that environmental education for sustainability is part of every New Zealander's experience in order to build relationships between people and their environment. We want everyone in Aotearoa to be able to make sustainable lifestyle decisions that result in healthier ecosystems and a healthier planet.

NZAEE Membership

As a member of NZAEE you will have access to a national network of environmental and sustainability educators and supporters, opportunities to participate in local branch activities, professional development via conferences, workshops and seminars, up-to-date news about environmental education and sustainability initiatives around the country, and a voice to Government about your issues.
Become a member
If you are renewing your membership by direct credit, please include your full name as a reference.

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NZAEE Promotes and supports lifelong learning and encouraging behaviours that lead to sustainability for Aotearoa.We are an independent voice for environmental education, empowering people to respect and nurture the environment, recognising its link with the social, cultural and economic aspects of sustainability.

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Climate Change Learning Programme - Future Curious

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CCLP CCLP in Action Impact & Evaluations Partners & Supporters Huringa Āhuarangi: whakareri mai kia haumaru āpōpō Climate Change: prepare today, live well tomorrow, better known as ‘The Climate Change Learning Programme’ (CCLP) is an engaging, climate literacy journey that blends science, action, and hope. It explores the causes, impacts, and solutions…

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Climate Change Education Guidelines DRAFT 2025

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Climate Change Education Guidelines DRAFT 2025

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NZAEE Community of Practice on Climate Change Education

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Climate change education guidelines draft for consultation

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Visual snapshot of Porirua Climate Assembly kaupapa

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Visual snapshot of Porirua Climate Assembly kaupapa

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This Porirua based rangatahi rōpū emerged from participating in the Porirua Assembly on Climate.

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Rangatahi Wānanga Waiata - Porirua Assembly

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Fanatastic resources includes topics like

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Earth Dreamers: Growing hope in response to the climate crisis

Earth Dreamers is designed to support the social sciences curriculum for teachers of years 7-8 ākonga and encourages teachers and ākonga to explore the complex global issue of the climate crisis within their local contexts in ways that foster joy and agency, curiosity, and hope.

It places a strong emphasis on indigenous knowledge, on place-based approaches that are relevant to ākonga contexts, and on robust inquiry practices. Earth Dreamers brings to life the social sciences. Inquiry pathways create rich opportunities for teaching and learning whereby ākonga use social science practices to investigate concepts holistically and to take action for a thriving collective future. While Earth Dreamers is primarily a social sciences resource, there are a number of ways in which each inquiry could be meaningfully integrated within other learning areas.

He taura taiao e kore e motu - exploring our relationship with nature

Enough is enough - examining consumerism, advertising and planetary limits

Rise against the tide - taking action for the Pacific, and our shared futures

Feeding our community - engaging with sustainable approaches to growing food

‍

Click on the link above to visit Tāhūrangi where you can download the resource as a PDF.

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Explore the complex global issue of the climate crisis within local contexts, to foster joy, agency, curiosity and hope. Gain access free today.

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Taiao based courses for Year 12-13

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7 minute Video overview

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Ko au te taiao: Recognising that we are nature through mātauranga Māori values and the collections at Te Papa | Te Papa

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Recognising we are nature through mātauranga Māori and Te Papa’s Collections Online.

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Links to videos of this local project, including kōrero by mana whenua Ngāti Toa rangatira

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_Te Kuku Wai o Toa - Recreating a Wetland in Porirua info (1)

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Forest and Bird - Te Reo o Te Taiao

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Te Waiora o Parirua/Porirua Harbour Accord

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Te Waiora o Parirua/Porirua Harbour Accord

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Signed at Takapūwāhia on 6 Feb 2025.

Scroll down for PDF file of background to this document of significance.

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Pania Rei -  Ngāti Toa rangatira Climate Justice advocate

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Pania Rei -  Ngāti Toa rangatira Climate Justice advocate

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Faultline Films

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Watch 1.5 Degrees - S1, E5 | MĀORI+ | Whakaata Māori

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Pania is Action Station’s Climate Justice Campaigner who wants to share her passion for environmental justice and inspire other rangatahi to take action.

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Kiwi Conservation Club - Forest & Bird-Te Reo o Te Taiao

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Future Unity Rangatahi present to PCC on Climate Assembly Recommendations

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Future Unity Rangatahi present to PCC on Climate Assembly Recommendations

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Climate Change Strategy 2026-2030

On Thursday, 19 March 2026, the Porirua City Council approved the refreshed Climate Change Strategy 2026-2030, providing direction to address the challenges of our changing climate. This document is the result of 12 months of collaborative work across multiple council teams, reflecting their dedication to build towards a low-carbon city and proactively address the challenges of climate change.

Before the Councillors’ decision, members of the public shared their views. Among them, three rangatahi - Gloria Tuumatavai Keni Tumaai, Miriam Siave, and Macky McNamara Te Mārama - eloquently spoke about their involvement with the Porirua Assembly on Climate early 2025, and their aspirations for the future. All three are part of Future Unity, a local youth climate advocacy group launched from the Assembly.

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Climate Ready Classrooms - Keep NZ Beautiful

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Climate Ready Classrooms - Keep NZ Beautiful

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Climate Ready Classrooms - Keep New Zealand Beautiful

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Critical History | Discover Ngāti Toa History — Te Rūnanga O Toa Rangatira

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Explore Critical History of Ngāti Toa, including governance, cultural initiatives, and environmental efforts, highlighting their heritage and community achievements.

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By Conor Twyford, Wairere Pene, Orini Rokx-Taratu, Amanda Dobson, Michele Whiting

Published in New Zealand Journal of Teachers' Work, Volume 22 No.2 (2025)

Special topic - Children's rights and Education in Aotearoa New Zealand

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Supporting Taiohi Voice, Agency and Leadership on Climate

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Drawing on a case study of a Tiriti-based citizen’s climate assembly in Porirua, a group of educators share their experience to support and empower young people’s voice and agency.

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by Conor Twyford, Wairere Pene, Orini Rokx-Taratu, Amanda Dobson, Michele Whiting

TE WHAKATIKA -The Aotearoa New Zealand Professional Practice Journal for Outdoor and Environmental Learning. Issue 46, Autumn 26

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Ngāti Toa Rangatira - Project Leaders Robert McCLean and Ashleigh Sagar

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Deep South Challenge | Climate Change Tools & Information

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Te Ara o Raukawa Moana | Deep South Challenge

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Active kaitiakitanga in response to climate change Ko Te Rauparaha te rangatira o Kāpiti me Te Moana-a-Raukawa Raukawa Moana, the Cook Strait, is of the highest cultural and spiritual significance