A group of children dressed warmly, standing and walking on a grassy hillside under a clear blue sky with distant mountains and water in the background.
A young boy with a backpack and a hat looking at a nature guidebook while standing on a trail near dense green foliage.
Group of children and a woman standing on a rocky riverbank in a forested area, with some children in the water and sunlight filtering through trees.
Two children exploring a rocky outdoor area, one girl and one boy, bending down and examining something on the ground.
A girl climbing a tree in a dense forest.
Children outdoors in a grassy area with trees and mountains in the background, playing with a long stick or rope.
Three children, two girls and one boy, are in a forest with tall trees. The girl on the left is kneeling and wearing a red coat, the girl in the middle is standing and wearing a pink patterned jacket with a purple hood, and the boy is standing and pu
Children playing and exploring on a sandy beach, wearing colorful vests, with a turtle shell on the sand in front of them, and the ocean in the background.
Close-up of a bird's nest with three speckled green eggs inside, surrounded by dried brown leaves and twigs, with a green plant in the foreground.

Our mission statement:

We want to create an environment that awakens every single student to the world around us, creating positive relationships and feeling healthy and happy. ​

Each child is at the centre of what we do

Nature-focused in how we achieve deeper learnings​

Building meaningful social relationships

​Holistic health at the forefront of our big Why?

We strive to help students in accomplish outdoor challenges and exceed their goals in a caring and supportive environment. As educators, we live for what we do. Deep social relationships are just as important to us as the bond with mother nature. If you want your child to grow more independent, compassionate, assertive and healthy,

send us a message.

Children playing and exploring near a creek in a lush, green forested area with trees and tall plants.
Two young women with painted faces making silly expressions, sitting on a blanket outdoors in a wooded area, one eating a sandwich and the other with face paint resembling a black bat, surrounded by trees and fallen leaves.
A man and a young boy in a forest, crouching near fallen tree branches, with the man holding a stick and the boy using a small tool, possibly exploring or playing.
A woman with light brown curly hair, glasses, wearing a blue jacket, smiling and holding a small device, standing in a forest with tall trees and green foliage.

  • Founder and educator

    Now at 32, I look back and realise I've known since I was 6 that I wanted to be a teacher. Growing up in a classic Kiwi rural school meant running around the village barefoot with friends, no adults in sight and coming home for dinner. Fast-forward a few years, I'd completed my teaching degree in Barcelona and was hungry to explore the world. I did an Erasmus programme in Finland, the leading country in terms of education, and volunteered teaching street children in New Delhi. I became interested in meditation and the ways different cultures brought up their children and begun bringing this into my teaching in primary schools: seeing each child as a full being, treating them with warmth, interest and uplifting their innate mana.

    After a few years teaching at international schools overseas and in Wellington, I've spent the last couple of years in Marlborough working for Outward Bound. This has brought me a lot of growth and know-how in the outdoors, including conservative safety decision-making. It's strengthened my belief in the necessity of bringing the outdoors into our lives.​​

    Opening up a Nature School in Nelson region has been a dream for over a decade, very close to my heart. Although initially it was simply a pedagogical approach that... well, made a lot of sense, it has become backed by research, hard skills and aroha. It's time for me to fully commit to this project. I want to build a healthier, happier society in the way that I know how.

  • Educator

    Perhaps my deepest craving has always been to rest, play and daydream in the forest. After a decade spent in biodiversity and land management, the natural career progression saw me spending less time in nature and more time in offices, planning and managing nature based work for others. Reflecting on the discomfort that emerged from this office based lifestyle led to an insight to pursue embodied work, in nature, that serves my community.

    In the last 12 months I've said goodbye to the full time office based lifestyle to seek more aligned and intentional opportunities here in Whakatū. Recently my partner and I have moved into and manage the operations of Fairfield House. My unique role here has afforded the time and freedom to follow my interests.

    The origin of my interest in the outdoors was actually a longing to return to the place of play, imagination, and calm that the forest had always brought me as a child. This intuition along with discovering the critical role of play in healthy child development sparked an immediate intrigue upon first hearing about Nelson's Nature School. I strive to bring care, patience, and enthusiasm to each child in every session.

  • Item descriptionI have a background in Child and Youth Care and am passionate about working outdoors. I value the opportunity to learn alongside children through shared experiences in nature – whether that's climbing, swimming, or exploring the natural world together.

    My approach centers on social-emotional learning through activity-based practices, supporting children's growth through play, connection, and meaningful experiences. I work from a person-centered, holistic lens, honoring each child as a whole individual and fostering curiosity, resilience, and a sense of belonging.

    I've worked with diverse groups of tamariki, including recently supporting a summer camp for children with spina bifida. I'm excited to bring my experience to our Wednesday group and see where the forest takes us!

  • Educator

    Alessia currently has a busy life as a mum and educator for younger children, along with movement education in several schools and kindys. However… she was actually the first person to work with me (Elena) in building and creating this nature school! She has seen us change: from before day 1, when we didn’t quite know what to expect, to how we are now with a beautiful community, and still adapting and changing to reflect what we consider best practices.

    She is super arty, loves mindful moments, is soothing in those one-to-one conversations, transmits positivity and excitement, and incredible at making others feel heard and valued. Really.

    For 2026 Alessia is one of our relief staff in case any of us get sick.

kids with volunteer

The rest of the team will remain private for the time being, but you are welcome to reach out and meet us. There are amazing volunteers, relieving staff, parents, experts in their field and workshop facilitators who may be joining us as the year goes on. Some prefer our Nelson sites, others our Stoke sites.

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Want to work with us?​ We are open to hearing from you and hearing your proposal / expression of interest. Please reach out if you would like to be a part of the team, whether as an educator, operational support, active parent helper, volunteer.... We'd LOVE to catch up about it.

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Everyone working with the children will need a full police check.

Educational and outdoors experience and first aid knowledge is highly valued.​

I'd like to be a part of the team
Next page: One Day programme
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