As the government looks to take outdoor education away from seniors, local teachers and students urge the importance of the subject in Wānaka.
The government has proposed major changes to NCEA that could remove outdoor education from the senior curriculum and subject list.
Under the proposal, the subject would only exist as a vocational option which would risk fewer schools offering it and reduced pathways to tertiary study.
Mount Aspiring College principal Nicola Jacobson has been vocal about the negative impact this would have for all students, but especially those in Wānaka, which offered a unique environment for the subject.
She said one of the region’s most prominent employers was Cardrona Treble Cone with many going to work as ski patrollers and lift operators.
“You need to be able to manage the risk and really intensive and quite high-pressure environments,” she said.
“… from the outside looking in it can look like a huge amount of fun, but the skills that people need to be successful in those fields I think is something that outdoor education certainly helps prepare our students [for].”
Mt Aspiring College assistant head of health and physical education Dave Cassaidy had been teaching the programme for over two decades and was equally concerned by the potential change.
Mr Cassaidy, who is also on the board of Education Outdoors New Zealand, said the subject was important across the whole country, but Wānaka was a special place to do the programme.
From trips to Snow Farm to kayaking and hiking across the region, students in Wānaka were exposed to a diverse environment and many came from all over the country to stay in hostels and take part in the school’s activities.
Mr Cassaidy said the school’s programme had been developed to adapt to the region’s environment and the students’ needs.
The government’s potential change threatened this model because it would see the subject registered as a vocational pathway which would require schools across the country to host similar assessments.
“I feel it’s really important also to show our local students what opportunities they have in their own environment and to kind of sample some of those,” he said.
Having taught the subject for many years in Wānaka, Mr Cassaidy had seen many students pursue relevant careers such as travelling the world to do guiding trips.
The course was about more than just teaching students practical skills, but also about imparting transferable skills that would ensure they are well equipped in their other pursuits.
“There’s a lot of things like resilience and problem solving and leadership, those sort of challenge aspects and also the interpersonal skills, which I think are really high on our list of outcomes.”
Year 13 student Tanyn Woods was one of 30 students to make their way to Wānaka for the hostel programme and to make use of the Outdoor Pursuits programme the school offers.
Originally from Tauranga, Ms Woods had come from a family who loved the outdoors, but she wanted to expand her experiences and gain some independence.
She recalled a four-day trip on the Brodrick Pass complete with a difficult but fulfilling schedule of hiking.
“It was a really tough four days … but we learned so many skills and really tested each other to the limit,” she said.
“I think it was a great way to build perseverance.”
Although her next steps are to study law, politics and economics at the University of Otago, Ms Woods felt the interpersonal skills she had learnt from these adventures would transfer to the next stage in her life.
MAC head student Ania-Kanu Saklani started taking outdoor education this year and was one of many local students who were able to experience their own backyard more intensely.
With a passion for the arts, Ms Saklani wasn’t looking to pursue outdoor education as a career, but valued the skills she had learnt from the programme including risk management and a renewed sense of adventure.
“It’s my favourite subject this year, it’s a highlight of the year for me. So I just, yeah, it would be so upsetting the fact that kids in the future won’t be able to have that,” she said.
Education Outdoor New Zealand is currently advocating for the public to make a submission to the ministry asking it to keep outdoor education on the general subject list.