Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne

Zealandia is the world’s first fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary, with an extraordinary 500-year vision to restore a Wellington valley’s forest and freshwater ecosystems as closely as possible to their pre-human state.

The 225 hectare (500+ acre) ecosanctuary is a groundbreaking conservation project that has reintroduced species of native wildlife back into the area, some of which were previously absent from mainland New Zealand for over 100 years. Set around a picturesque reservoir, Zealandia is home to some of New Zealand's most rare and extraordinary wildlife - all thriving wild in a world-first protected sanctuary.

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Our mission

The organisational purpose of Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne is to ‘radically change how people live with nature’, Tiaki Taiao, Tiaki Tangata, whether it be at Zealandia, within communities or further afield.

In practice, this means Zealandia’s learning programmes focus on creating rich, diverse and immersive experiences that connect to learners personal, local experiences of Te Taiao. Our learning programme supports ākonga in creating the change for Te Taiao that they want to see in their neighbourhoods.

We have multiple offerings that can be tailored with teachers to complement and enhance current classroom learning:

Nature at Your Place (decile 1-6 schools, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori)

This programme enables learners to participate at no cost. Students visit the sanctuary which provides an inspiration of what can happen when people come together to create change. We then support them in their aspirations for Te Taiao in their own neighbourhood through outreach visits. This may be a habitat restoration campaign, a digital campaign promoting the benefits to native wildlife of keeping your cat inside at night, or any other change they feel passionate about that might create better outcomes for nature.  

Zealandia Sanctuary Experiences (schools, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori, Te Kōhanga Reo and Early Childhood Education groups)

Ākonga can visit Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne throughout the year to engage with our learning programme. Alongside teachers we ensure these sessions meet the needs of learners. Example experiences include a 45-minute storytelling session for ECE, a science show for primary students exploring the concepts involved in flight, and full day sessions for secondary students or for those looking to delve deeper into their areas of learning.

Zealandia Outreach Visits (schools, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori, Te Kōhanga Reo and Early Childhood Education groups)

The Zealandia team connects with ākonga in their own spaces through our outreach programme, supporting learners and enriching their curriculums in their spaces. The Zealandia outreach programme is designed in collaboration with teachers, allowing us to align the offer specifically with the needs and requirements of the learners.

Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne Learning Resources (online)

Zealandia Learning resources are developed collaboratively with teachers and learners to enrich learning. The resources are a mix of practical, hands-on activities and ideas, along with support for teachers in lesson planning, and for students who are leading the initiatives in their spaces. All current resources are available via the Zealandia website and are also hosted in other spaces such as Science Learning Hub or Predator Free Wellington.

All programmes delivered by Zealandia are designed to support learning areas of Te Whāriki, or the New Zealand Curriculum or Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. We have the capability to create bespoke opportunities where needed to ensure that learning requirements can be met—this ensures we are responsive to curriculum change and the changing needs of our communities. All Zealandia education sessions are designed with concepts that enrich a local context and curriculum.