About us
Introducing the Sustainable Futures Youth Programme, delivered by the New Zealand National Fieldays Society.
What is the Sustainable Futures Youth Programme?
Officially launching in 2026, the programme is delivered by the New Zealand National Fieldays Society Inc, a trusted organisation with 57 years of leadership in the agricultural sector.
Designed to support rangatahi to understand biodiversity and sustainability through a holistic lens, a four-day workshop series, held at the Society’s owned and operated Mystery Creek Events Centre, will focus on teachings around water, micro-organisms, plants, and animals.
Grounded in experiential learning, the programme combines hands-on activities, problem-solving, and collaborative challenges to build critical thinking, systems understanding, and a sense of responsibility as kaitiaki. The Programme aligns with curriculum goals while empowering young people to engage thoughtfully with the environmental challenges shaping their world.
Developed with the community
Consultation involved:
- Primary and secondary school teachers
- Local iwi
- Environmental organisations and NGOs
- MPs, mayors, and regional leaders
- Parents, whānau, and community advocates
Their insights and support helped shape a programme that is relevant, inclusive, and meaningful.
Tamariki from Kaipaki School, Ōhaupō School, Rukuhia Primary, and Tamahere Country Model School were central to codesign.
After trialling several workshops over the past couple of years with these schools at Mystery Creek Events Centre, feedback from the students was clear.
They asked for:
- more games
- more plant uses
- hands-on activities
- “gross stuff”
- real-world challenges
- fun, mystery, and storytelling
We'd also like to acknowledge the work of the University of Waikato design students who created Pat, our AI mascot, through animation, character design, and UI/UX magic.
Who is the programme for?
The Programme is designed for rangatahi in Years 7–8 and the educators who support them. The programme is suited to schools seeking engaging, curriculum-aligned learning experiences that build environmental understanding, critical thinking, and student agency through hands-on, collaborative learning. Delivery is supported through a collaborative approach that brings together educators, facilitators, and community partners with expertise across environmental, social, and economic sustainability, ensuring learning is grounded in real-world contexts and shared responsibility.
Curriculum and policy alignment
The programme aligns with:
- National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB) 2023
- Te Mana o te Taiao – NZ Biodiversity Strategy 2020
- Regional biodiversity priorities
And supports Year 7–8 curriculum objectives, including:
- Food chains and human impacts
- Plant and animal adaptations
- Classifying living organisms
- Year 9–10 bridging concepts (e.g., survival adaptations)
Why is this important for our rangatahi?
The Programme responds to the realities rangatahi face today by equipping them with the knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to understand biodiversity and their place within interconnected environmental, social, and economic systems. The Programme supports curriculum learning while strengthening students’ confidence to act as kaitiaki of the natural world.
What do we believe about learning and rangatahi?
We believe learning is most powerful when students are fully immersed and can see themselves in the experience. When rangatahi can relate to the people they are learning with and the situations they are exploring, complex ideas become easier to understand and more meaningful. That is why the Programme is designed for rangatahi and delivered alongside rangatahi, with senior students from St Paul’s Collegiate supporting sessions as peer leaders. This creates learning environments that feel authentic, supportive, and relevant to younger students.
We also believe that understanding grows through doing. By placing students inside real-world scenarios, challenges, and decision-making processes, the Programme encourages active participation, collaboration, and problem-solving. This immersive, hands-on approach supports rangatahi to build critical thinking and systems awareness, while developing confidence in their ability to contribute as kaitiaki within their communities and the wider world.
We blend mātauranga Māori with Western science, using systems thinking to build critical thinking and deepen understanding of the natural world and its forces. Sessions are interactive, led by rangatahi, and powered by our cheeky AI host, Pat the Bat.
Yes. The programme aligns strongly with national curriculum goals, current biodiversity priorities, and broader education policy directions.
No, the programme is not formally government endorsed. However, it has been shaped with input from a wide range of credible contributors.
The programme has been informed by insights from local MPs, educators, NGOs, and regional experts, ensuring it remains relevant, credible, and well supported.
“ The Society’s workshops have given us a valuable platform to share our Awhi Awa | Embrace a Stream project with rangatahi, sharing knowledge and inspiring action to care for our waterways. The workshops have enabled us to connect with kura (schools) across the Waikato region and empower future generations to protect our awa (streams and waterways) and the native species they sustain „
Natalie Jessup, Tangaro Tuia te Ora, Endangered Species Foundation