Brookfield Outdoor Education Centre

28/08/2026

Congratulations to Stephen, our valued Brookfield Board member, Op’s Chair and Duty Leader on his forthcoming role. A great appointment.

Please let me introduce you to your next National Commissioner, Stephen Keatley!

The National Council has voted and I'm proud to present Stephen as your new National Commissioner!!!

Stephen has a lot of experience, having served on our National Council, volunteering as one of the Group Support Advisors, working with the Jamboree team and also being an amazing Kaiārahi in his local group in the Wellington Region. Outside of Scouts, Stephen has a wealth of experience in Governance and Operational Leadership from across government, school and other community organisations. He has a fantastic track record of guiding complex teams and programmes. Across all his mahi, Stephen lives by the Scout Law and Promise and is committed to Youth Leading, Adults Supporting.

Stephen will be formally invested as National Commissioner at our next National Council meeting on 26 September 2026. Between now and then, we are beginning the process of handing over the reins, ensuring a seamless transition into this next exciting chapter for Scouts Aotearoa.

Please join me in offering him a huge congratulations, BRAVO and the warmest of welcomes as National Commissioner Elect!

28/08/2026

Our Board Secretary, Donna Seddon, who for the last 3 + years has provided amazing support and assistance to Brookfield has stepped down from her role. We accept her resignation with a great deal of regret.
We are therefore seeking to appoint a new Board Secretary, someone with passion to contribute to the success of Brookfield. If you’re keen, please email Board Chair Warwick Bell on his email by Friday 11 September, expressing an interest and indicating what you can offer in the role.

18/08/2026

A huge thank you to Shane and the team at Quality Demolition and Contracting Ltd for helping make one of Brookfield’s biggest maintenance projects a reality.

Over the past few months, our lake has been dredged as part of our resource consent maintenance programme, with the removal of sand, silt and other debris. This was a significant undertaking that would have come at an enormous cost without the generosity of the team.

Shane has been a long-time supporter of Brookfield, regularly supplying gravel for our roads, tracks and building projects, and once again stepped up to help us with this major project. We are incredibly grateful for his ongoing commitment to Brookfield.

A special thank you also goes to:

Bryce O'Sullivan Contracting Limited for generously loaning the 20-tonne long-reach excavator.

HireWays for providing the dump truck.

The entire Quality Demolition team for their time, expertise and support.

Projects like this simply wouldn’t happen without businesses and people who believe in what Brookfield provides for our community. Your support helps us maintain and improve this special place for the thousands of young people and volunteers who visit each year.

07/08/2026

Thanks to everyone from the National Scout Photography School for another great week at Brookfield!

Enjoy their highlights video, a great opportunity for any Scout or Guide

We look forward to having you back next year, hopefully with a little more sunshine!

21/07/2026

School camps are becoming increasingly difficult for many families to afford, and that’s something that concerns all of us.

The recent NZ Herald article highlights the rising cost of outdoor education, with schools facing increasing transport, staffing, compliance and activity costs. Yet we know that the benefits of camp are too important to lose.

At Brookfield, we’ve worked hard to keep camps as affordable as possible while still delivering meaningful outdoor experiences.

Most of our activities are designed to be facilitated by teachers and parent supporters attending camp, rather than requiring instructors or third-party providers. This helps schools significantly reduce costs while still providing exciting, challenging and rewarding experiences.

Students can take part in activities such as:
• Flying Fox
• Kayaking
• Confidence Course
• Team Building Course
• Fire Lighting
• Bush activities and outdoor learning
• Abseiling (professional instructors)

Brookfield also provides fully equipped commercial kitchens, allowing schools to prepare their own meals using their school community. Through our relationships with commercial food suppliers, we can also help schools source quality ingredients at competitive prices with direct delivery to camp.

Most importantly, we believe outdoor education is about far more than activities. It’s about giving young people opportunities to build confidence, resilience, teamwork, leadership and independence. It’s about creating friendships, overcoming challenges, stepping outside comfort zones and discovering what they’re capable of.

As Lord Baden-Powell said:

“A week of camp life is worth six months of theoretical teaching in the meeting room.”

That quote is just as relevant today as it was over 100 years ago.

Every young person deserves the opportunity to experience camp. At Brookfield, we’re committed to working alongside schools to make those experiences as accessible and affordable as possible, because the lessons learned around a campfire, on a flying fox or while working together as a team are lessons that last a lifetime.

Papatoetoe Intermediate cancelled its camp after only 160 of 750 pupils signed up.

16/07/2026

Many people may not know the story behind one of Brookfield’s most beautiful trees.

Mary Crowther bequeathed Brookfield to Scouts after many years of local Scouts helping her around the property. Her home once stood on the site where the McNair Campfire is today, surrounded by beautiful gardens.

One reminder of Mary’s legacy is the magnificent magnolia tree. Every year it bursts into bloom, providing a stunning display and a living connection to Brookfield’s history.

This photo, taken today, is a beautiful reminder of the generosity that helped make Brookfield what it is today, and of the long-standing relationship between Mary Crowther and the Scouts who cared for and supported her.

As the magnolia flowers each year, it continues to tell a small part of Brookfield’s story for everyone who visits.

02/07/2026

Thanks Orongorongo Rover Scout Crew for building us some awesome planter boxes.

18/05/2026

Sad news this weekend just past with the passing of Len Cogger.
Len was a longtime and valuable member of the Brookfield Last of the Summer W**e team and will be very much missed.
In earlier years Len was a Scout Leader in Upper Hutt District, a Leader with Upper Hutt District contingent to both Oamaru Jamboree in 1978 and Hastings in 1981, and other Jamborees too. Also as a cast member for many Hutt Valley Gang Shows in the 1980's and 1990's.

Sincere condolences to Len’s wife and family. Len’s son had asked us to pass on to everyone in Scouting that Len's funeral is confirmed for this Thursday 21st May at 10.30 a.m. at Gee & Hickton, Kingswood, King Street, Upper Hutt.
BRAVO Len, a life truly dedicated to Scouting!

10/05/2026

Milestone reached — Brookfield Predator Free has now recorded almost 4,000 rat kills.

A huge thank you to all of the volunteers and supporters who help keep the programme running. Every trap checked and bait station maintained helps protect our native wildlife and green spaces.

The programme is community run and supported by volunteers, and we’re always keen for more people to get involved. It’s also a great service project opportunity for community groups, schools, and young people completing capstone or Duke of Edinburgh awards.

If you’d like to help out or learn more about joining a trap line, send us a message.