Where Learning Meets Whenua - February Newsletter
Kia Ora,
Over the last few years, the team at Learning Environment has quietly and steadfastly woven a living tapestry where wellbeing, learning, and ecological restoration meet.
What began as a vision between friends has grown into more than 72 hectares of living classroom - now known as Pīwaiwaka Farm, nestled in rural Whanganui.
Through regenerative design, this whenua has expanded into edible landscapes and thriving nature-based programmes: a flourishing ecosystem where community grows alongside seedlings, and children's curiosity takes root in soil as much as in books.
Over the past three years, the project has contributed:
Over 10,000 volunteer hours
4,000+ visitors welcomed
89 education programmes delivered
Over 9,000kg of kai grown and donated
More than 87,000 trees planted
Now in its fourth year, you can read more in the Learning Environment annual impact report here.
Productive māra [gardens] mean that Learning Environment supports with produce & kai for local community events.
From establishing māra kai and resilient food systems to guiding educators in place-based learning, Learning Environment has empowered hundreds of young people to reconnect with whenua in meaningful, hands-on ways.
Compost systems hum with life. Rainwater is harvested and honoured. Native plantings restore waterways and biodiversity, while offering spaces for reflection and play. Each initiative becomes both classroom and kai basket - a living curriculum grounded in seasons, cycles, and reciprocity.
Pīwaiwaka Farm has become a space where others bring their own kaupapa to life - therapists, educators, communities gathering in shared purpose. Closely connected to Te Awa Tupua / Whanganui River, and the ancestral whakapapa of Ngā Paerangi and Ngā Rauru, the farm creates experiences that strengthen hauora - the health of land, people, and community.
This place-based, community-led approach recognises that learning is embedded in gardens, kitchens, forests, waterways, and shared tables. It contributes to wider outcomes of equity, resilience, and wellbeing.
Beyond the physical transformation of landscapes, perhaps a deeper achievement lies in cultural and relational restoration. By embedding mātauranga Māori, ecological literacy, and regenerative thinking into everyday practice, Learning Environment nurtures a generation who see themselves not as separate from nature, but as kaitiaki within it.
Teachers are supported to move away from extractive models of education toward ones that mirror forest ecologies - diverse, interconnected, and resilient.
Tū Manawa Ora Rangatahi [Youth] Camp, a living, breathing example of the Learning Environment vision for education and wellbeing.
From here, the impact ripples outward. Families begin growing food at home. School communities share harvest festivals. Young people develop confidence in real-world science and sustainability - and in belonging, knowing their place within the web of life.
In a time of climate uncertainty and social fragmentation, Learning Environment offers something profoundly steady: a return to relationship - with soil, with seasons, and with each other. Through a growing community creating localised change, their work extends well beyond Pīwaiwaka Farm, helping shape a tomorrow where nature heals, learning inspires, and wellbeing leads.
Please enjoy the collection below of our favourite Learning Environment highlights below, followed by the latest updates from our local ecosystem.
Ngā mihi aroha
- Biome Trust
Ngā Tipu ā Nuku Harvest Festival brings together a community celebration of Autumn abundance on the whenua. More
The Learning Environment whānau receiving their Hua Parakore Māori Organics verification in 2024. More
Pīwaiwaka Farm is regularly visited by a range of school groups, volunteers, environmental clubs, universities, college students & more
The Nursery is a bustling community hub, attracting dozens of weekly volunteers, and growing thousands of native trees - a key method to sustaining their community-focused educational mahi.
Thousands of native seedlings grown at Pīwaiwaka Farms being picked up on a bulk order - a key revenue stream for the project. More
Off-grid tiny house located on-site, and overlooking a pond, and 72ha regenerating native bush and waterways. More
Ness Radich (left) and Emma Morris (right) presenting the Learning Environment kauapa at the recent Ma Earth Retreat.
The Learning Environment team in 2022 with Cheryl Spain from The Gift Trust, and Matthew of Ma Earth. More
Giftee Updates
Learning Environment invites you to become one of the 100 Seeds by contributing $100 or more each month. More
Mangaroa Farms is hosting the Autumn Harvest Festival to celebrate Upper Hutt Food Week, 21-29 March 2026. More
Kaicycle Urban Farm is hosting Raumati /Summer Yoga in the Maara on Wednesdays in March. More
Organics Aotearoa NZ highlights dairy giant Fonterra opening up South Island recruitment for organic milk supply. More
Kōanga Institute’s 2026 Fruit Tree Catalogue filled with dozens of heritage varieties is now is available as a free ebook. More
Underground features the first of a few posts which capture the essence of the recent 2026 soil food & farming festival. More
Ma Earth Learning Lab features Dr Debarati Chakraborty of Naturophilia India, exploring the intersection of seeds, soil, & cultural heritage. More
Tiwaiwaka’s Pā McGowan demonstrates the resilience of a regenerating whenua following the floods in Tauranga recently. More
Papawhakaritorito Trust’s Jessica Hutchings shares about her experience sharing about the Hineahuone soil health framework at Underground Festival. More
Garden To Table schools are kicking off the year with vegetable harvests and kai preparation skills - a programme now in 300 schools across Aotearoa. More
Kelmarna Community Farm is hosting the Little Kai Festival - celebrating kai, kōrero and community Sunday 8th March. More
Permaculture in New Zealand is hosting the Aotearoa National Permaculture Hui April 10-13 in Whakatu Nelson. More
Future Whenua is hosting the annual summit at Pākōwhai Marae Te Tairāwhiti / Gisborne on 13-15th March 2026. More
Rewiring Aotearoa highlights Electric Cherries, in Central Otago, running their operation on 100% electric machinery. More
Kiwis in Climate are hosting 10 conversations around the country on climate change as part of the Kiwis in Climate book launch. More
Toru Education highlights a range of local events & workshops from growing permaculture gardens, planning food forestry, and preserving food. More
One Earth highlights environmental hero: Leah Thomas, celebrated for merging environmentalism with social justice. More
Local Futures is hosting the annual World Localization Day on June 21 2026, featuring local events, film screenings & community activations. More
Commonsense Organics co-founders Marion & the late Jim Kebbell (1938 - 2026).
Additional News
Commonsense Organics honours the life and legacy of the late co-founder and NZ organics pioneer Jim Kebbell, aged 87. More
Predator Free NZ asks the question - what does high-tech predator elimination actually look like? More
Bioneers have released their 2025 annual report, celebrating 36 years of inspiring and honouring the web of life on earth. More
Rites of Passage Foundation are hosting a range of programmes for young boys and girls to mark the transition into adulthood. More
“Education does not change the world. Education changes people. People change the world.”
