Educational experiences on Kaipūpū Sanctuary

Environmental or conservation-based education plays a vital role in engaging and inspiring our community to take action in their own backyard. At Kaipūpū Sanctuary we believe that experience-based activities capture the hearts and minds by engaging the senses — touch,
sight, sound and smell. For our school or group visits it is about experiences beyond the classroom. Local students learn about the native plants and animals present on the Sanctuary and what we can all do to help protect them.

We offer the Kaipūpu Experience which is an environmental education programme that can be tailored to suit the needs of school groups from kindergartens to secondary level.

This programme includes concepts like:

• New Zealand’s endemic/native species – animals and plants
• Food chains/webs and ecosystems – why these are important for biodiversity
• Succession processes in a native forest
• Threats to endemic/native species
• Conservation methods – translocations, monitoring, predator proof fences, trapping and tracking techniques
• Role of community groups in species conservation

The take-home message for the students is that if native forest is kept free from predators, browsing pests and weeds, the native flora and fauna will regenerate vigorously into the future.

We apologise but the Education Programme is on hold until further notice, but feel free to please contact [email protected] if you require more updates.

"​Andrew was an absolute treasure, he handled everyone and everything beautifully. He was full of wonderful information and it was delivered in a way that kept young and old interested. All of the adults came to me and said how much they enjoyed the day.”

— Aimee, Blenheim Natural Learners Co-op