Education and Volunteer Lead/Coordinator
We’ve wrapped up our Floating Classroom programme for 2025–26 — a season that saw around 300 bright-eyed students from Te Tai Tokerau, across 10 schools, step into 14 days of island learning on Moturua. Not bad for a classroom with no walls!
Each Floating Classroom begins long before students set foot on the island. Pre-lessons and pre-visits at each school introduce them to our project, the species of Ipipiri, their habitats, and the pesky invaders we work hard to keep out. By the time they arrive for their Island Day, they’re primed and ready to swap theory for real-life conservation mahi.
Groups split off for bush walks to identify native plants and birds, while others roll up their sleeves to build rat traps, decode animal tracks, and discover just how competitive beach and bush bingo can get. And as if our native forest bird species weren’t exciting enough, some lucky classes were treated to some spectacular bonus encounters — orca cruising past their boat, seals sunbathing, a close-up daytime wētāpunga encounter, kororā tracks on the beach, and even our shy nocturnal pāteke casually paddling by to say kia ora.
Two weeks later, we returned to each school to see what stuck — and what sparked imagination. The results were nothing short of delightful:
We wouldn’t be able to run our Floating Classrooms without the generous support of the Joyce Fisher Charitable Trust, whose backing ensures every school and student can dive into this learning adventure at absolutely no cost. Thanks to them, conservation learning happens right in the place we’re working to protect.
The programme is also buoyed by the kindness of our local champions. The Kerikeri Men’s Shed crew expertly crafted timber and mesh into tidy kitset rat traps — ready for eager student hands. Bay of Islands ITM stepped in with the wood and mesh, and Steel & Tube supplied the screws, proving that even pest control has its own supply chain superheroes.
A huge shoutout to Adam and the Island Getaway team, who offer a discounted charter rate so our students can reach the islands — and to their stellar crew, Hamish, Zac, Saqkara, Nic and Bluebell, who kept the day running smoothly on the water. We truly couldn’t do it without them.
And finally, heartfelt thanks to the teachers who champion this learning back at school, and to the parents and students who jumped aboard this year’s programme. Your enthusiasm is what drives our education programme forward.
