Applying to be part of the Enviroschools Programme and network can vary slightly from region to region. In the Wellington region, we welcome applications to be part of the Enviroschools Programme from any school that is ready to commit to a long-term sustainability journey. 

What should we do first?

-          Gain a good understanding of what the Programme involves by sending staff to an Enviroschools Energiser Workshop (Level 1) - scroll down the Important Dates page to find when the next workshop will be held

-          Demonstrate your commitment by attending local Enviroschools teacher cluster meetings - contact the facilitator in your region to find the date and venue of the next cluster meeting.

-          Discuss the commitment the Enviroschools Programme requires with the staff and BOT so that everyone is aware of what they are committing to. Here is a description of what a whole school commitment involves.

-      Once you are accepted onto the programme we will send you a formal agreement to sign which outlines your school's commitment to the Enviroschools Programme and an annual goal sheet that you will be asked to complete.

When’s the right time to apply?

The ideal time to apply is the end of April.  This enables us to assess our capacity to work with new schools and take on new schools at the start of Term 3.  Schools can then start exploring the programme and engaging in some planning with a facilitator in terms 3 and 4 ready for action the following year.  Applications will however be considered at other times of the year. 

Ready to apply?

Make an online application. 

(This information was last updated on 9 December 2014.)

Many schools are not ready to make a whole school commitment when they first find out about the Enviroschools Programme.  Schools that are not ready to make a whole school commitment but would like to be kept informed of upcoming workshops, teacher clusters and other opportunities can register as a “Friend of Enviroschools Wellington”. 

Schools can also purchase an Enviroschools Handbook and have a go at putting some of the principles in place in their school independently of the Enviroschools team.  To order a handbook, email the Regional Coordinator who will send you one with an invoice for $45.

There are a number of opportunities for support with environmental education and action in the Wellington Region that might be good places to start an environmental journey.

Link in with a local restoration group

 Go to the naturespace website to find out about restoration groups near you. This website is also full of information about the restoration process and how to start your own project.

 Engage in an integrated unit of work with a sustainability theme

 Examples of fully prepared units of work include:

Take Action for Water– Greater Wellington Regional Council. This is an integrated unit of work for yr 5-8 students, where students investigate local stream quality and take action to improve it. It is available on the GWRC website or you can contact the council to see if hard copies of the resource are still available. 

Turning on the tap – Greater wellington Regional Council. Another integrated unit of work for yr 5-8 students. This time students investigate the human-made water supply, discover why it is important to conserve water and take action to make better use of their tap water.  This resource is also available through the GWRC website.

Check out our resources page for a wide range of other sustainability-related resources available to schools in the Wellington region.

Other support available in the region:

Zealandia / Karori Wildlife Sanctuary

Department of Conservation have a variety of resources for teachers

Wellington Zoo take school visits and have resources related to conservation and sustainabilty

Otari Wilton’s Bush is a great place to take students and has an online education kit

Many councils also offer waste programmes to help schools understand the systems in place to deal with their waste.  Contact your local council to access these.