Te Puna Taiao – Our Kaupapa Overview
A kaupapa hustling for change
Te Puna Taiao proposes that the hauora and resilience, and in turn, the educational outcomes, of our country’s tamariki and communities could be improved using a new approach to the design of outdoor spaces in our schools to apply what we know from child development research and mātauranga Māori.
For decades, schools in Aotearoa have looked much the same; a collection of buildings, often with a sports field or two and a concreted area and a kitset playground, usually largely made of plastic.
Our kaupapa has been designed to provide children with the right opportunities to flourish, both as individuals, and as members of whānau, communities and Te Ao Tūroa.
We are advocating for schools to use their physical environments to:
Better connect children to Te Ao Tūroa, the enduring natural world, by providing beautiful natural play spaces and gardens
Foster co-operative and creative play by providing separate, diverse and connected spaces, catering to the full range of the senses
Provide for building resilience and self-control by providing opportunities for riskier and enriched play-based learning and teaching
Foster belonging by connecting children to their rohe, their community and Te Ao Tūroa through clear references and connections to Te Ao Māori in all aspects of design
Improve cultural connections and practices to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and improve educational outcomes for tamariki and whānau Māori.
Evidence
Implementation
Benefits
Evaluation
Outcomes
Kuputaka/Glossary
A creative playground is only half a creative space; it’s also a creative attitude. And we’re changing attitudes as much as we’re changing spaces.
— Jay Beckwith, 1973
