A school day in nature—designed for students who learn best through doing.

Designed for kids who are often daydreaming—or those whose energy is bursting out of them.

Natural Leaders is a one-day-a-week outdoor learning program for students in Years 6–13+ who need a different way to engage. We give them a focus for their dreaming and energy—designing food forests, learning bushcraft, building outdoor classrooms, and mentoring others.

It’s a powerful blend of ecological learning, leadership development, and hands-on contribution to school and community.

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What Happens on a Natural Leaders Day?

Each week, students gather outside to:

• Create and care for food forests on school grounds

• Learn bushcraft, eco-building, and regenerative growing

• Take leadership roles in real-world projects

• Mentor younger students and pass down hands-on knowledge

• Connect with cultural wisdom around food and land

• Grow emotional resilience through ecotherapy-informed facilitation

• Strengths-focused, Project Based Learning

They gain confidence, clarity, and the kind of life skills that matter—like how to work as a team, how to solve real problems, and how to step up when it counts.

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Why Students Love It

“I’m so much better in school because I get a break midweek to do what I love. It fills my tank.”
—Mason, Year 8

Natural Leaders complements traditional learning with experiences that fill the gaps—movement, connection, purpose, and the freedom to lead.

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Our Guiding Principles

We believe in leaving both people and places better than we found them. That means building soil as we grow food, and building confidence as we grow leaders.

Our work is grounded in the Hakomi principles—a mindful, body-aware, and compassionate approach to learning and healing. We move at the speed of trust. We focus on safety, curiosity, and the inner wisdom of each young person. Rather than pushing or fixing, we listen, notice, and respond with presence.

This isn’t just about teaching kids to lead—it’s about creating spaces where they remember they already can.

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Why Schools Say Yes

• Your school receives a thriving student-built food forest

• One staff member receives a funded spot in our Ecotherapy for Educators program

• Students return to class more settled, more confident, and more engaged

• The program supports your wellbeing, sustainability, and leadership goals

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Who We Are

Natural Leaders began in Upper Hutt in 2024. In 2025, with support from Every Body is a Treasure Charitable Trust, we’re expanding across the Wellington region.

Our facilitators are trained in ecotherapy, youth development, bushcraft, and trauma-informed practice. But the real power? It comes from the students themselves. This is a youth-led initiative from the ground up.

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