The Green Schools are a global network of schools in Bali, New Zealand and South Africa, committed to making our world sustainable through education

LEARNER EXPERIENCE & WELLBEING

Two people sitting on a blanket outside a modern, dome-shaped house with large wooden and glass windows, surrounded by rocks and plants.

Wellbeing Programme

LEARNER EXPERIENCE

The Koru curriculum (Hauora/Wellbeing) is one of the distinctive features of Green School New Zealand. The koru in its unfurling represents new life, growth and peace. Together, they suitably symbolise the heart of the curriculum at Green School New Zealand. It underpins all of the learning experiences at Green School and actively cultivates learners spiritual, social, mental and physical wellbeing.

Through it, Green School learners self-actualise, and understand that which makes them, uniquely them. This authentic sense of self happens not simply as a serendipitous by-product of an education, but from an explicit focus on rich tasks that unpack our knowledge of ourselves in relationship with each other, humanity and nature.

It is one of the reasons why Green School is so distinctly Green School. Traditionally, many schools spend much of their time focusing on the ‘hard’ subjects and not the ‘soft’ ones - hoping somehow that we can create well rounded people simply through happenstance. We believe passionately at Green School that those so-called ‘soft’ competencies - things like empathy, resilience and gratitude, are the very competencies that truly see us not just survive, but thrive in this life. And more than this, an effective education is one that explicitly recognises this.

Illustration of a traditional Maori house, called Te Whare Tapa Whā, with labels indicating its four walls representing different aspects of wellbeing: mental/emotional, social, physical, and spiritual.

Approach To Wellbeing

The Koru Hauora / Wellbeing curriculum is taught across
all neighbourhoods at Green School New Zealand.

Our approach to wellbeing is based on Te Whare Tapa Wha.
We aim to give children the space they need as individuals. Each with their own needs and paths to follow and to experience the impact of their actions.
The physical and emotional safety of our learners, along with the right of every learner to access the learning opportunities of our school, are of primary importance at Green School New Zealand.
We use a Positive Behaviour for Learning approach. By strengthening relationships and creating more positive home and school environments, we remove barriers to engagement and improve students' chances to achieve at school and beyond.We build a culture where positive behaviour and learning is a way of life. It’s not about changing the students; it’s about changing the environment, systems, and practices you have in place to support them to make positive behaviour choices.
We use Restorative Practice when working through conflict or challenges.
When need be as the learner support lead and a trained learning and behaviour specialist Di can make referrals to outside agencies. We use Arts Therapy as an outside agency as well as a number of other counselling services throughout Taranaki.
We have also formed connections with the Rites of Passage Foundation to support our Middle School programme that takes place in Term 3 each year.
Aotearoa/New Zealand has a beautiful and unique cultural landscape bought together with a vision of bicultural harmony. Greenschool New Zealand ākonga/students will embrace our traditional Māori culture during their time here through the arts, music and language curriculum.
Our language and culture are taonga. Our children are taonga. The teachers of Te Ao Māori are also taonga because they are helping to secure the future of Te Ao Māori as a living, dynamic, and rich culture.
Akonga/learners will experience this rich culture and vision of unity and have the chance to show personal growth and understanding through their learning in these creative cultural areas. Our creative arts curriculum will be richly influenced by the natural and cultural features of our land and will be celebrated at weekly assemblies, campus art galleries and community events.
Akonga/learners will regularly explore several forms of creative arts, with the level of sophistication growing as students grow and mature. Te reo Māori will be integrated, spoken and seen on a daily basis while traditional values and tikanga (practices) will hold significant presence in the curriculum. Akonga/learners will not only participate in unique cultural experiences but also learn and understand Māori culture and its importance in New Zealand and the world.
More on culture here
There is an inherent connection between language and culture: language is embedded in culture and also expresses culture. The culture and practices of the people who share a language are dynamic within a changing world.
By learning te reo Māori, learners discover that speaking a different language involves much more than simply conveying the same message in different words. Communicating in another language means being sensitive not only to what is said but also to how it is said and to what is left unsaid. Every language involves visual features as well as words, and indirect messages as well as direct ones.
As teachers of te reo Māori and tikanga we will take cultural considerations into account throughout our programmes so that our learners are always aware that te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are inseparable. We will introduce and revise language in the context of topics associated with concepts, attitudes and values (socio-cultural aspects) of significance to Māori. We will provide our learners with opportunities to develop the confidence to operate in Māori contexts.
We will do this under the guidance of staff that are confident in sharing this knowledge with the community and under guidance of the wider Taranaki community that leads in this space.
More on culture here
At Green School New Zealand we work in collaboration with the parent/guardian on any individual learner wellbeing matters and consent is always given priority.
We define safeguarding as the way in which we provide a safe and effective environment so that every member of our community can thrive. Because we put students first in all that we do, safeguarding and child protection are of paramount importance to us. We take every step to ensure the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of everyone in our care, including safer recruitment procedures.
More information here.

Learner Highlights

We recently celebrated Puanga here at Green School NZ as part of our Puanga/Matariki celebrations where festivities were held to be thankful for the harvest, acknowledge the dead and release their spirits, honour ancestors, and to celebrate life. It also signalled the passing of another year. It was wonderful to see the whole community gather together while feasting on a delicious hangi prepared by our learners.
Read more here.
GSNZ Primary and Middle School learners joined in on the School Strike for Climate Change in central New Plymouth. We held our own and marched along to the strum of Matua Marks uke and our community chants.
Read more here.
Term Two saw the eagerly awaited Eco-Camp for the Guardians of the Earth. Teaming up with other schools across the EiM network, we structured activities around this year's theme, Biodiversity, perfectly timed with The International Day for Biological Diversity in May. Alongside a visit from a guest speaker, we came up with our own definition of Biodiversity, and discussed what about it was most important to us - we decided that the protection of the diverse species within our favourite part of campus, Fern Whare, was an area for focus.
Our guest speaker told us that one of the best ways to protect the biodiversity in Aotearoa is to place rat traps so, using the Trap NZ app, we set up a new trap line in Fern Whare- selecting boxes and traps, painting the boxes so they're easily recognisable, researching good areas to place them, how to maintain them and which bait is best to use.
We have been monitoring the traps every week since and have been recording, using and interpreting the data as part of our Term 3 Maths theme on Statistics. At the date of writing the traps had caught 5 rats and 7 mice, therefore we are confident we are achieving our aim of protecting the unique biodiversity of Fern Whare.
GSNZ recently hosted a Natural Cleaning Product workshop at the Bridge.
At the workshop learners and parents made their own natural cleaning products, using simple ingredients that are safe for the family, easy to use, and sustainably packaged while reducing waste, saving money, and eliminating exposure to strong chemicals that are harmful to people and the environment.