The Enviroschools Foundation is a charitable trust that provides support and strategic direction for a nation-wide environmental education programme. The Foundation comprises a governing trust board and small national management team based in Hamilton.
The Enviroschools concept was developed in the Waikato in the 1990's, it has since been extended into schools across New Zealand. Implementation is on a regional basis, along regional council boundaries. The national team works with Enviroschools Regional Coordinators to support the creation of sustainable schools via:
The Facilitated Enviroschools Programme - where schools sign-up to a 3-year process of environmental learning and action; as an enviroschool they gain access to an extensive resource kit and a trained facilitator.
The Enviroschools Awards Scheme - an incentive scheme for schools to become actively involved in environmental education through achieving bronze, silver and green/gold levels with the assistance of an awards booklet.
Both these approaches link closely with the Ministry of Education's Environmental Education Guidelines. From the outset Enviroschools had adopted a collaborative approach, building relationships to support and enhance existing environmental education initiatives.
The Enviroschools Foundation works with a large network of people and organisations. Community partnerships are at the heart of the Enviroschools approach. We believe that to support sustainable schools and ultimately encourage sustainable communities a diverse network of partnerships is essential. There are huge synergies to be realized from diverse groups of people working together and we are committed to a future where schools are able to provide students with rich learning opportunities through strong connections with their communities.
Our national partnerships are:
We work closely with the Environmental Education Professional Development Programme overseen by the Ministry of Education. The Ministry's EfS Co-ordinators support schools to adopt the EE Guidelines and participate in the Enviroschools Awards Scheme.
Te Mauri Tau Inc. is a charitable trust that fosters Måori language and culture by working creatively in the areas of health, environment and education. They developed the Måori perspectives materials in the Enviroschools Kit and are instrumental in the integration of Måori perspectives throughout the programme.
Department of Conservation. We are working with DOC to help the thousands of young people attending enviroschools integrate conservation into their school sustainability programmes. The partnership between The Enviroschools Foundation and the Department was formally announced in by Conservation Minister, Chris Carter during Conservation week 2006. The focus of the partnership for 2007 will be development of conservation education resources - building on existing resources - and meetings to help DOC staff and Enviroschools people plan how they will work together.
The New Zealand Association of Environmental Education(NZAEE) provides a national network for environmental educators and promotes EE in New Zealand.
Regional Partners - In each region there are committed organisations that support schools participating in the Enviroschools Programme. Our regional partners contribute by providing funding, skilled people, ideas and networking opportunities.
Working with Business - Many businesses across New Zealand are embracing the challenges of sustainable development. These businesses have formed networks such as the NZBCSD and SBN. We are now developing links between businesses and the schools in our programme. The aim is to develop mutually beneficial relationships where both partners share experiences, expertise, and ideas.
At a national level The Enviroschools Foundation is principally funded through a contract with the The Ministry of Education. Other funding support in 2006 and 2007 has come through a grant from The Vodafone New Zealand Foundation. Prior to 2006 our major funder had been the Tindall Foundation, who supported The Enviroschools Foundation over a key period of development. We would also like to thank the following organisations for grants/donations in the 2007 calendar year: Holcim (NZ) Ltd, The Perry Foundation, The Lion Foundation, and Southern Trust. Our regional partners fund the implementation of Enviroschools in their area.
If you are interested in supporting Enviroschools please contact us. As the Enviroschools Foundation is a charitable trust all donations over $5 are tax deductible. We are also developing partnerships with sustainable businesses that involve sponsorship and opportunities to work with schools.
The Enviroschools Foundation was formed in 2003, however our history goes back ten years:
1993: the Hamilton City Council (HCC) developed a trial programme with three schools.
1998: the HCC's Sustainable Environment Team, in partnership with Te Mauri Tau, Environment Waikato, Environment Bay of Plenty and Matamata-Piako District Council supported also by the Ministry for the Environment's Sustainable Management Fund, further developed the initial concept into the Facilitated Enviroschools Programme.
2001: The Enviroschools Kit and Handbook were launched and professional development programme began to train facilitators.
2002: the Programme was made available to regions nationwide under the umbrella of the NZAEE (New Zealand Association for Environmental Education). This involved building relationships with local bodies and government agencies, training facilitators and establishing robust national management and support for regions.
2002: the Enviroschools Awards Scheme launched as a result of a joint effort by the Auckland Regional Council, Ministry of Education, Ministry for the Environment and Enviroschools. The Awards are designed as an incentive to support schools that are not able to, or not ready to, access the Facilitated Programme.
2003: the Enviroschools Foundation was formed as the governing body for the Facilitated Programme and Awards Scheme and the national office opened in Hamilton.
A Board of Trustees governs the Enviroschools Foundation. The Trustees come from around New Zealand and have a range of skills and experience. The current trust board members are:
Frank Olsson (Chair)
Corporate Director, Auckland
Bill (Wiremu) Tawhai (Kaumatua)
Lecturer, Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi, Whakatane
Tuihana Bosch
Director, Te Mauri Tau, Whaingaroa
Alasdair Craig
Manager Community Relations, DoC, Hamilton
Leanne Holdsworth
Director, Holistic Business Solutions Ltd, Auckland
Dean King
Schools Programme Coordinator, Environment Waikato, Hamilton
Gael Ogilvie
Senior Principal, URS New Zealand Ltd, Auckland
Apanui Skipper
Maori Development Manager, NIWA, Hamilton
Pam Williams
Research Fellow & Education for Sustainability Advisor, Victoria University, Wellington
The key roles of the Trust are to:
Provide strategic direction by bringing together expertise in environmental education, sustainable business and government policy.
Play an advocacy role and encourage synergies between organisations and programmes with a common vision for sustainability education and sustainable communities.
Access resources to strengthen and build regional capacity to assist schools to participate in the Enviroschools Programme.
The Foundation's vision is to foster a generation of innovative and motivated young people who instinctively think and act sustainably. To move closer to this our chosen priorities are to:
Connect schools to a diverse environmental education support network
Focus on deepening the environmental learning experience rather than simply increasing the number of schools participating
Maintain a clear direction on a sustainability path that draws on the strengths and perspectives of all our partners
Harness and share the Pool of Knowledge/Puna Måtauranga about environmental education and sustainability
We work across five broad action areas:
Strengthen direct support systems for schools
The Foundation works closely with local authorities to secure new and ongoing financial support for implementation in schools. Providing schools with the opportunity to work with quality facilitators is a top priority. This includes building a team of experienced Måori facilitators who can both support the Måori perspectives aspect of the Enviroschools Kit in mainstream schools and support the Enviroschools approach in a range of kura. We are also working on initiatives to assist schools tap into financial resources and community wide expertise for their action projects.
Provide professional development opportunities
This includes conducting research, running training workshops for Enviroschools Facilitators and teachers, and facilitating a reflection/evaluation process in conjunction with our annual Hui.
Develop educational resources
The Foundation provides a number of resources to support the education process in schools. These include the Enviroschools Kit, Handbook, annual Scrapbook and series of videos. Our current priority is to develop and produce resources in te reo Måori that can support students and teachers in a range of kura (including kura Måori, kura Kaupapa Måori and bi-lingual) to be involved in the Enviroschools Programme.
Promote Environmental Education for Sustainability
Promote Environmental Education for Sustainability and contribute to its development through contribution to policy, building partnerships and raising profile.
Build a sustainable organisation
The Enviroschools Foundation lives by the same five guiding principles. Building a strong organisation that draws on the energy and talents of a range of people and securing ongoing funding are important aspects of our work. Enviroschools has grown from an idea first piloted in 1993, the Foundation has grown up to support participants across the country and our aim is to play and valuable role for many years to come.
Our national partnerships are: