2024 National Energiser Hui at Te Mahurehure Marae Tāmaki Makaurau

The National Energiser hui held in October at Te Mahurehure Marae in Tāmaki Makaurau was a wonderful event and opportunity to bring our network together to connect, explore our kaupapa and learn about new processes and resources.

In this post you will find links to key presentations, follow up notes and photos from the hui. This includes sector session info, as well as the key Holistic Reflection resources.

If you have any photos you would like to share please #enviroschools through Instagram or socials or email to stories@toimata.co.nz. You could also pop them in a drive and share them with stories@enviroschools.org.nz too!

Our Puna Mātauranga depicted an estuarine ecosystem with its shallow, peaceful gently-shelving shoreline, the complex interface from land, to inter-tidal flats….from fresh water (the people ideas and values coming into the hui space) through to salt (the learning and action) and next steps as people and ideas returned to their rohe.

The puna depicted an estuarine ecosystem.

Lots of reflections and ideas.

Toimata Foundation Update: Heidi and Kristen

Heidi and Kristen share updates from Toimata Foundation.

Heidi and Kristen gave an overview of Toimata Foundation and Enviroschools sharing the history and evolution. There were lots of laughs and some great photos in this presentation here: Toimata Foundation Update 2024 National Hui

Guest speakers at our hui – grounding us to place and sharing knowledge, wisdom and history

Christine Panapa (Ngāti Pūkenga/Ngāti Tūwharetoa/Ngāti Maniapoto), Nick Hawke (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) and Wikitoria Tawhara Makiha.

Matua Nick Hawke (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) shared a moving kōrero supported by Pandy Hawke

Christine Panapa shared the amazing story of determination, resilience and vision for Te Mahurehure marae and whānau

Arihia, Anaru and Ropata supporting the kōrero of Whaea Wikitoria

Esther sharing the amazing tool that is the Action Learning Cycle!

Enviroschools Resources and Processes Update

Esther’s kōrero began with a view of our planet, Earth in space, and the interconnected movement of systems before moving through the shifts and changes in key resources such as the Action Learning Cycle and our Ngā Mātāpono/Guiding Principles and how these are flowing through updates to the Handbooks and Kit.

Slides and presentation notes here 2024 ES National Energiser Hui Resources Session

Holistic Reflection overview and updates

The simplified process for Holistic Reflection was shared giving mihi to all the explorations and shifts over the past few years.

The new resources are now available in the Reflection and Celebration Category in the team area. Go to the Enviroschools Website: Sign in to the team area and scroll down to Reflection and Celebration. Click on the tile and then start with the overview.

Go to the Enviroschools Website: Sign in to the team area and scroll down to Reflection and Celebration. Click on the tile and then start with the overview.

Start with the overview then move to the other options as you build your kete.

Holistic Reflection plenary and smaller workshop sessions

Holistic Reflection Presentation National Hui Oct 2024
Templates to support the process:
- School_Facilitator and Kaiako Holistic Reflection recommended process tracking template 2024
- ECE Kaiako Holistic Reflection process – a template and recommended process for teachers in ece
- ECE Facilitator Holistic Reflection recommended process tracking template
Kato kōrero – a facilitated awa experience
2024_ES_National Hui_Matrix Reflection Workshop and you can download the matrix from here Matrix questions for reflection
The sky as the mirror in our reflection
What makes the ngahere so special

Roimata, National ECE support, facilitates conversation around Holistic Reflection.

Exploring the different activities at hui.

Beccy leads a group through a facilitated awa experience

Using the Matrix (updated) questions to support purposeful reflection.

Creative sessions were popular with beautiful offerings providing laugher, movement and moments to breathe and reflect

Harakeke weaving with Natalie Hemapō Couch (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa)
Yoga and movement with Karla Brodie (Kāi Tahu)
Earth and nature-based song and circle dance with Beccy Dove
Māra Hūpara exploration and connection with Harko Brown (Ngāti Raukawa Tainui/Ngāti Whātua/Ngāi Te Rangi
Personal Reflection with Roimata Aniwaniwa Rainbow Self-Reflection Check-In

Harko Brown has a large and captive audience.

Creative ways to connect.

Fun and games and shared experiences.

Harko guides one of the activities.

Natalie Hemapō Couch (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa) helps participants with harakeke weaving.

Karla Brodie (Kāi Tahu) leads a yoga movement session.

Concurrent sector workshops:

ECE Sector

At our ECE concurrent sessions we introduced two new activities designed to help facilitators delve deeper into the Enviroschools kaupapa with the teaching teams that they engage with. We invited our facilitators to step into the role of teaching teams during the sessions, allowing them to experience the activities from a teaching team’s perspective. This approach helped them gain a deeper understanding of how the activities would feel and work in practice, offering insights into how they might guide and support teaching teams in engaging with the Enviroschools kaupapa.

In the first activity, we asked facilitators to choose from four different scenarios, each connected to one of the Enviroschools Four Key Areas: Place (Wāhi), Practices (Tikanga), People & Participation (Tangata), and Programmes (Kaupapa ako). They then explored their chosen scenario by considering key pātai (who, what, where, when, and why), encouraging deeper reflection and connection with the kaupapa through practical application.

2024_ES_National Hui_ECE_Scenarios on Four Key Areas

2024_ES_National Hui_ECE_Facilitator Discussion Points_4Ps

The second activity was a Mapping exercise, where participants examined their ECE environment from a bird’s-eye view. They mapped local areas of significance (maunga, ngahere, moana, awa etc.), identified community connections (local school, marae, rest home etc.), explored spaces where tamariki were drawn to and spent time, and places they avoided, and reflected on the living landscape – including natural areas and the homes of insects and creatures these areas provide for, and where the mauri of ngā Atua Māori could be seen, heard, and felt in, though, and about their environment. > ECE mapping activity

School Sector

Exploring Creative alternatives to Current Realities

Sharing successes and overcoming challenges with great ideas.

Facilitators considered a series of questions generated from common challenges they had shared the day before during the ‘Current Kōrero’ reflection activity. Some great discussion was held and amazing ideas and suggestions offered highlighting the knowledge, experience and wisdom held within the group.

Collated ideas and solutions from the challenges sheets can be downloaded below.

Exploring the juxtaposition between Ecological Building and Living Landscapes in our school grounds

Schools facilitators used inspiration from the images provided to create quick sketches through to more considered concept drawings.

This was a playful approach to exploring the synergies between 2 of our theme areas and to experience one of the Ecological Building activities with the interwoven key concepts in mind.

Workshop plan here: 2024_ES_National Hui_Workshop plan_Exploring the integration of Ecological Building and Living Landscapes in our school grounds
Digital resources – Enviroschools | Images to support Enviroschools Ecological Building Activities

Secondary Sector

Secondary facilitaors were invited to discuss, and ask big questions from those involved in camps and leadership opportunities for young people in Secondary Schools. They heard from 3 facilitators working in this space. Everyone contributed and shared experiences and wise learning.

One task our original Secondary Facilitators Working Group was wanting to do was to put together resources / a resource for rangatahi to pick up and use. We had a great session on this at hui and one immediate recommendation was to send out a quick survey to the current leaders of Envirogroups / sustainability prefects etc before they leave this year.