From Term 3, we’ll be relocating our Wilton Park sessions to Paparangi Scout Hall and Seton Nossiter Park, running as a combined Tuesday Nature School group.
This decision allows us to continue delivering high-quality outdoor learning while keeping the programme sustainable. Unfortunately, low enrolments at Nature School and declining numbers at the holiday programme in Wilton made it hard to continue as we were. Saying that we’re genuinely excited about what Paparangi offers!
Why Paparangi?
Seton Nossiter Park is a rich, diverse natural environment — complete with waterfalls, fairy trails, and hidden valleys. We also have access to the Scout Hall for wet weather days and a strong partnership with the Scouts and local ranger. It’s a space full of opportunity, and we can’t wait for tamariki to explore it!
Our recent survey highlighted what families value most:
Access to an indoor space (this surprised us — but we listened!)
A large bush area
Proximity to home — almost 50% of families live within 10 minutes of Wilton Park, but 40% said Paparangi would be a shorter or a similar commute.
We know this move may not suit everyone, and we’re truly sorry if your tamaiti (child) won’t be able to continue with us at this location. We hope many of you will join us in this new location.
💚 Nature School will continue to run at:
Island Bay (Weds & Thurs)
Belmont, Lower Hutt (Weds)
Why not Otari-Wilton’s Bush?
In our recent survey some of you have asked why we don’t use Otari-Wilton's Bush more often. The short answer is: we’re simply not allowed.
We’ve made repeated attempts to build a strong, reciprocal relationship with the garden’s management and booking team but we’ve come up against red tape and tight restrictions. The best agreement we could reach doesn’t meet our needs: we’re only allowed to visit if no other group has booked, we’re charged a nominal fee per child (to access a free public space), and we’re given limited timeframes. It’s created extra admin and left us (as kaiako) feeling unwelcome, despite the on-the-ground staff always being warm and supportive.