Development & Why

Even though New Zealand is a relatively prosperous nation, our prosperity is not shared equally. We have comparatively high rates of poverty and income inequality and iwi and whānau Māori continue to experience the ongoing impacts of colonisation.

We developed Te Puna Taiao as a grass-roots initiative to attempt to reduce inequity and improve outcomes for children living in our highest need communities.

Development & Why We are Doing It

We know that our schools have not been equitable places for tamariki Māori, nor have they been accessible and welcoming places for children with disabilities.

It became clear to us that if we want to give children richer life experiences for our most in-need communities, that educational settings, where children spend a significant proportion of their time, were the places to do it. And that the potential of a school’s outdoor spaces to contribute to the health and well-being of our kids and communities were both largely under-recognised and underutilised in Aotearoa.

We decided to try to make change in this space.

Implementation of the Te Puna Taiao kaupapa presents a cost-effective opportunity to improve the lives and outcomes of our children, reduce current inequities and build stronger, more resilient whānau and communities.