Outdoor learning in Aotearoa New Zealand: voices past, present, and future

Abstract

Many of the principles and practices that have influenced outdoor education in AotearoaNew Zealand find their genesis in the United Kingdom and North America. In recent times, many of these foundational assumptions have been called into question. This paper highlights how emerging 'local' voices are questioning and reframing how outdoor education is conceptualised and practiced. In large part this is due to a sense of distinctiveness borne from the bicultural foundations that underpin governance and policy-making. This paper explores how outdoor educators are developing pedagogies that acknowledge the particularities of our context, particularly the bicultural foundation of Aotearoa New Zealand. The paper highlights how social and cultural influences shape educational policy and how outdoor educators are responding, both theoretically and practically, to meet the needs of learners in an increasingly diverse society. PreambleOutdoor learning occurs in many contexts and in multiple forms in Aotearoa New Zealand. 1 This learning may occur in both formal and informal educational settings including schools and tertiary institutions, as well as through clubs and other voluntary service organisations. This article focuses on formal education settings as many of the social and cultural tensions that are currently shaping outdoor education

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