Celia Hogan - Little Kiwis Nature Play

EHARA MŌ TE HOKO. EHARA MŌ TE RETI.

Aotearoa’s conservation land exists to protect our unique natural and cultural heritage, not to be treated as a commercial asset.

The Government is currently consulting on changes to the conservation concessions system. One proposal would create a pathway for up to 60% of public conservation land to be made available for activities other than conservation purposes, where these are considered to provide a net benefit.

For many of us, this raises important questions:

🌿 What should conservation land be used for?
🌿 How do we ensure protection remains the primary purpose?
🌿 What are the long-term impacts for future generations?
🌿 Who benefits, and who bears the costs?

Whether you support or oppose the proposals, this is an important conversation about the future of our public conservation estate.

For those of us who learn, teach, recreate, and connect in te taiao, conservation land is more than a place. It is part of our identity, our wellbeing, and our responsibility as kaitiaki.

Make your voice heard. Submissions are open until 5pm, 11 August 2026.

We need to protect DOC land. Please make a submission! A submission is a fancy word for writing a couple of scentence or a paragraph or two telling the government what you think! Please do so as the current proposed legislation states, approximately 40% of conservation land would remain protected from disposal or exchange, while around 60% could potentially become eligible for consideration under the new framework. Read - 60% available for fast track proposals!!!

If you take learners into te taiao, this matters.

The proposed changes to New Zealand's conservation legislation could influence how conservation land is managed and how activities on conservation land are approved in the future.

For many educators, conservation land is more than a destination. It is a classroom. It is where young people build confidence, develop relationships, connect with place, learn about ecosystems, and experience challenge, adventure and belonging.

EONZ believes outdoor education has an important place in this conversation. We support a conservation system that recognises the educational, social, environmental and wellbeing outcomes that outdoor learning provides. We also support efforts to ensure not-for-profit outdoor education providers working with schools are recognised appropriately within concession processes, rather than being treated in the same way as commercial tourism operators.

As submissions are developed, EONZ encourages attention to:
• recognising the unique contribution outdoor education makes to young people and communities
• ensuring concession processes are practical and fit-for-purpose for educational programmes
• maintaining affordable access to conservation land for learning experiences
• supporting opportunities for young people to develop connection to place and environmental stewardship
• protecting conservation land for future generations

The decisions made today will help shape how future generations learn, connect and experience the outdoors.

Submissions close 2 July.

Submit here:https://www3.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-a-submission/document/54SCENV_SCF_BD7D0F89-D8CB-42F7-9C5F-08DEABEDA048/conservation-amendment-bill

Tomorrow, 11 June, is International Day of Play 🌿

It is a global day to celebrate, protect and champion something every child needs, and every child has a right to.

Play.

Play is not an extra, or something that only happens once the “real learning” is done. It is not something children need to grow out of. Play is how tamariki make sense of the world, build relationships, test ideas, move their bodies, grow confidence, and develop creativity, resilience and joy.

The right to play is recognised in Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, alongside rest, leisure, recreation and cultural life.

And yet, for so many children, play is being slowly squeezed out of childhood. Their days are often busier, screen time is taking up more space, adults are more fearful, and there is more pressure on children to achieve earlier and earlier. At the same time, there are fewer places where children can roam, explore, take risks, get messy, follow their curiosity and simply be.

At Little Kiwis Nature Play, this is the heart of our mahi.

We believe children need time in te taiao. They need space to climb, dig, splash, imagine, wander, make friends, solve problems and create their own play. They need adults who understand that play is not a waste of time. It is the work of childhood.

International Day of Play is a good reminder for all of us as parents, educators, communities and decision makers to ask whether we are really making enough space for children to play.

Real play. Messy play. Outdoor play. Risky play. Imaginative play. Unhurried play. Play that belongs to the child.

Because when we protect play, we protect childhood.

There is something fundamentally wrong with this government and its opinions of education. I call them opinions as they obviously don’t look at any research or listen to experts in education before they make decisions. The early years are where investment needs to be when their brains are growing at an incredible rate. To get a half percent increase for kindergartens and 1.5 percent for other early childhood providers is like pouring water through a sieve.
Education should not be subject to the flip flop of governments. Neither should health and housing. I would love to hear a government advocate for some legislation change that puts these sectors in a place where they are not at a wim and on a pendulum each term.

Kindergartens New Zealand says its members will struggle after the Budget increased their operational subsidy by less than half-a-percent.

I just had such an epic weekend.

This weekend a group of mums from our Bush Kindy and Bush School whānau headed off to tramp the St James Walkway together. What started as a casual conversation at our Christmas parents gathering somehow turned into 11 wahine heading into the mountains together for a weekend of ngahere, connection, laughs, tired legs and hut chats.

I don’t often talk about this side of Little Kiwis Nature Play, but honestly, one of the most special things that has grown from Bush Kindy and Bush School over the years is the relationships between parents. It’s never just been about the tamariki. Alongside all the muddy clothes, campfires, tree climbing and adventures, these genuine friendships and support networks quietly form too.

The original plan was for me to do the whole tramp over 3 days, but a recent MRI scan suggested that probably wasn’t the smartest move right now. I still had way too much FOMO to miss it completely though, so I ended up solo tramping into the last hut on Saturday to meet everyone there for the second night, then walked out with the crew on Sunday. And honestly, it ended up being perfect. Some quiet solo time in te taiao, then reconnecting with everyone for a beautiful walk out together.

There was one moment sitting in the hut where I just looked around and thought… wow. This all started so small. A koha-based session. A few families. Kids making mud pies and climbing trees. And now years later there are friendships, adventures, wahine backing each other, and these really beautiful threads of connection that have grown from it all.

I’m feeling very grateful for this little community that has formed around Little Kiwis Nature Play. There’s something pretty special about shared experiences in wild places that bring people back to what really matters.

Ngā mihi nui, wāhine mā 🤍

🌱 Want to take your teaching outdoors? 🍃
Join us in Christchurch for the Nature Educator Weekend Workshop - Teaching in te taiao! Are you setting up or running a bush school, nature kindy or developing your outdoor classroom? This intensive, hands-on training is the perfect opportunity to get the knowledge and confidence you need to kickstart your nature play programme. Whether you're just starting or already running a nature programme, this workshop will provide you with the necessary steps and support to take you to the next level. With an engaging blend of practical training, ideas, and weaving in of matauranga Māori, you'll walk away with a renewed sense of confidence and a wealth of take-away practical knowledge. Don't miss this opportunity to inspire and empower your tamariki through the wonders of nature. Find out more or Register now!
https://littlekiwisnatureplay.com/nature-education-workshop/
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