National enrolment data showed outdoor education student numbers more than doubled between 2008 and 2024, from 6549to 14,309 students.

In the Bay of Plenty/Waiariki region, enrolments tripled from 732 to 2198.

Rotorua Girls’ High School physical education/health head of faculty and outdoor education teacher Jade Northey said outdoor education provided students with opportunities and learning “far beyond” what could be offered in a traditional classroom.

She was concerned the proposed change would remove the subject for “a large proportion of students”, which was “extremely disappointing”.

The change risked “placing students into boxes” of a vocational or academic pathway.

At that age, many students were uncertain of their future and “pushing” them into one pathway risked “closing doors to opportunities which could change their lives”, she said.

“To lose outdoor education would be doing our students a huge disservice.”

Te Puke High School outdoor education teacher Matua Kurt Mastny said for the past four or five years, more than half its Year 11 students had done outdoor education. It was also popular among Year 12 and 13 students.

“When they come back from these assessments off-site … they re-engage in school a lot better, especially for those kids who are struggling with the academic subjects.”

Recently, they were at Mount Ruapehu. Some students “were not enjoying it” but afterwards understood the value of pushing themselves in difficult situations, he said.

Mastny said if OE became a vocational pathway, it would be “offered less and marginalised because it’s not going to be valued as much within schools and the community”.

At Te Puke High School, “I think it would just die a slow death”.

Students ‘less likely’ to do OE

Rotorua Lakes High School outdoor education teacher Sophie Hoskins said the school’s programme included mountain biking, rock-climbing, and connecting with natural taonga by tramping.

Being “downgraded to vocational pathways” would “narrow” what the subject could offer, and she believed students would be less likely to opt in if it did not count towards University Entrance.

She was concerned about programmes being adequately resourced and schools losing the opportunity to design their own programmes.

EONZ chief executive Fiona McDonald said the proposal would mean fewer schools could offer outdoor education.

Students would “miss out” on it as an academic pathway to university study and developing transferable skills.

“Outdoor education is not just PE outdoors. It is an academic subject with a distinct body of knowledge that builds leadership, resilience, problem-solving skills, and environmental guardianship.”

“Removing it undermines student choice, equity, and a vital career pipeline for tourism, recreation, and conservation sectors.”

Rotorua Rafting owner Sam Sutton said the subject was the “incubator” for future careers in the adventure activity sector.

If the proposal went ahead, Sutton was concerned it would be “basically cutting off the supply of staff”, leaving tourism businesses to fill the “gap” with foreign workers.

His guides were 50% New Zealanders and 50% international during the peak summer period.

He said tourism was the second biggest export earner in New Zealand.

Ministry of Education responds

Ministry of Education curriculum centre (te poutāhū) acting deputy secretary (hautū taupua) Pauline Cleaver said the ministry was writing a new curriculum for Years 11 to 13.

Subject decisions had not been finalised, but there would be a similar number to those currently offered.

“Some may be renamed or reorganised, and others may be new, to better reflect a future-focused curriculum.”

The Government was also consulting on proposals to replace NCEA with new national qualifications. This included developing vocational subjects in partnership with industry skills boards, Cleaver said.

These would sit alongside general subjects and offer “clear, high-quality pathways to jobs and further training”.

“Subject-specific decisions for senior secondary curriculum, including outdoor education, will be communicated once final decisions have been made.”

Cleaver said these decisions were not part of consultation on the proposed NCEA changes.

The proposal set out how students could gain a qualification through a combination of study that included curriculum and industry subjects.

“This means all subjects are highly valued and provides students a qualification that supports their next steps into further study or work.”

EONZ said submissions closed on September 15.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.