Bring your classroom alive with a visit to Wellington Gardens. Book an education session with our experienced Education Team – you choose your destination we support your journey. You have a choice of gardens to visit both with their own unique qualities to enhance your learning experience. There is a tendency for kura to visit Ōtari-Wilton's Bush when they need support with local histories and Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā when wishing to enhance students' knowledge of biophilic cities, or growing their own food and urban living.
The Discovery Garden is a living classroom for visiting schools to become immersed into nature. Our gifted te reo name is Te Kaapuia o Te Waoku; introducing the concept that we are all part of nature.
Our curriculum-based programmes emphasise the many uses of plants including food, healing, and resources. Experienced educators facilitate a fun, hands-on and inclusive learning environment.
The diverse gardens help to show how important plants have been, are now, and will be in the future. The vital role plants play in our lives is crucial for our planet’s health.
Visit our wildflower garden for the pollinators, see different examples of how to grow your own food and experience the interconnectedness of nature in action.
Nestled in the centre of the garden is the Akoranga | Learning Pavilion. This living classroom operates as an education centre and gathering space for school visits, workshops & events.
Ōtari-Wilton's Bush is an open air museum where you can experience a diverse collection of plants sourced from one end of Aotearoa to the other. In 1926 Dr. Leonard Cockayne set up a garden of solely New Zealand native plants. Displayed in family groups or as re-created ecosystems, they represent different areas of Aotearoa. Almost all the plants have been grown from cuttings or seeds collected from their original habitats.
Book to hear our experienced educators share stories about the interconnectedness of plants, people and animals from the various regions they come from.
Explore the Kaiwharawhara Stream catchment area to experience a unique area that includes the only remaining original broadleaf-podocarp forest in Wellington City. Learn about the past and think about the future with our team of enthusiastic educators.
We want to ensure you and your group are aware of any risks involved in visiting the Botanic Garden and Ōtari-Wilton's Bush. Download our Risk Registers before your visit.
Email the Education Team to find out moregardens.education@wcc.govt.nz
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We can tailor a programme to meet your needs or you can choose from our selection of predesigned programmes. More information about these can be found by selecting the drop-down headings on this page.
Come and make a day of it – we are here to help your kura be part of nature with a fun-focused session and additional self-guided materials to explore our fabulous gardens. Email the Education Team Gardens.Education@wcc.govt.nz . We endeavour to reply within two working days.
Term 4 at Wellington Gardens offers engaging, facilitated learning sessions that connect ākonga with plants, nature, and culture. Each activity links directly to the New Zealand Curriculum, making learning memorable, hands-on, and relevant.
Key Term 4 Activities:
Hands-On Mahi & Take-Home Activities:
These sessions combine practical gardening, cultural knowledge, and science, giving tamariki skills they can use beyond the classroom and fostering a deep connection to the natural world.
Book your Term 4 session today: gardens.education@wcc.govt.nz
Hands-On Food Learning in the Discovery Garden
Students explore plants, soil, and food through three hands-on activities during a 2 hour session. Every session is curriculum-aligned, flexible to the season, and designed to be engaging, interactive, and age-appropriate.
What Students Do:
Activities are adapted to the season:
Levelled Learning examples with sample questions:
Y1–2 Exploring & noticing: “What do seeds need to grow?” / “What does this kai taste like?”Y3–4 Simple cycles & care: “Which part of the plant are we eating?” / “How do worms change waste into soil?”Y5–6 Connections & sustainability: “How does soil health affect our food?” / “How can we attract beneficial insects?”Y7–8 Inquiry & application: “How can we plan meals using seasonal kai?” / “How do we care for seedlings for long-term growth?”Y9–10 Systems thinking & applied learning: “How can we design a sustainable garden for the season?” / “How does soil management impact long-term food production?” / “How does maramataka guide planting and harvesting?”
Why Book This Programme:
Programme Details:
Book your session today: gardens.education@wcc.govt.nz
Seeds, soil, sustainable planting, and self-sufficiency are just some of the levelled elements of this programme. Tamariki will learn through different activities about the parts and functions of a plant, their growing needs, how environmental changes affect their productivity, and urban planting. Making a paper pot and planting seeds in the potting garden, exploring the productive food garden, and feeding worms in the wormery are just some of the things to expect during this hands-on programme.
Fee: $6 per tamaiti
Education programme enquiry
Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā Education team have taken a giant leap into space with this, one of two ELC programmes which are designed to complement a visit to Space Place.
This programme makes real-world links to our seasons. Tamariki will learn why we seasonally plant different things by taking part in some hands-on relevant mahi in the Discovery Garden based on the maramataka.
This second space related programme is designed for years 5-8.
Plants in space looks at how we depend heavily on Earth’s natural resources and how we need alternative ways to grow productive, healthy plants in space. Tamariki will develop an understanding of how experimentation here on Earth and in the International Space Station continues to develop and refine how we grow strong plants without relying purely on soil as the substrate. One activity is looking at seeds in different growing medium and learning how well they grow inside a growing tent with artificial light, a similar process to that used in the space station. Hydroponics and aquaponics are other alternative growing methods introduced during this programme.
Your tamariki will explore the mauri or life force of some very old trees on site at Ōtari-Wilton's Bush. Using science capabilities, they will learn about the role of trees not only for our survival but for the many other communities which rely on them and who we share this amazing planet Earth with. While we can level the programme to suit the younger ages, this programme will be best suited to years 3 and up.
This programme celebrates ‘Be with a Tree’ week particularly but is available any time throughout the year. 'Be with a Tree' is a celebration of our natural environment promoted by Forest & Bird to the younger generation via their children’s department Kiwi Conservation Club.
Did you know that during World War I, sphagnum moss was used as a life-saving wound dressing? On this learning session, students explore healing plants through hands-on activities that connect science, history, culture, and wellbeing.
Students learn how people have relied on native and introduced medicinal plants, with native plants acknowledged as taonga. Sessions are curriculum-aligned, age-appropriate, and adapted to the season.
What Students Do
Students take part in three hands-on activities, selected to suit their age and learning stage. Activities may include:
A kawakawa tea break is always included.
Seasonal Focus
Levelled Learning (Examples)
Y0–2: Sensory plant walk • Kawakawa tea • Paper pot with a sown medicinal seed Y3–4: Plant walk • Lotions & Potions garden • Herbal tea making Y5–6: Rongoā Māori • Sphagnum moss (WWI) • Itchy bite balm Y7–8: Native vs introduced plants • Sphagnum moss case study • Propagation Y9–10: Medicinal plant systems • Sustainable use • Applied discussion
Planning With Your Class in Mind
Teachers are welcome to request a different mix of activities or share their learning intention when booking. We’re happy to tailor the session to best meet your students’ needs.
Programme Details
Recommended Pre-Visit Reading
Hands-on exploration of native and introduced plants for tools, structures, and craft.
Students explore how plants support practical life and resourcefulness. Through hands-on activities, tamariki learn how Māori used native plants — such as harakeke for weaving strong fibres and tī kōuka for building materials — to make tools, shelters, and implements. Introduced plants, like sisal in the Botanic Garden, are also explored to understand plant properties and practical uses. Sessions take place at Ōtari‑Wilton’s Bush (native focus) or Wellington Botanic Garden (native and introduced), giving students hands-on experience with plant-based construction and craft.
Every session is curriculum-aligned, flexible to the season, and designed to be engaging, interactive, and age-appropriate.
Students take part in three hands-on activities, adapted to their age and learning stage. Activities may include:
Levelled Learning (Sample Activities)
Y0–2: Sensory plant walks • Handle construction materials • Build small-scale structures with guidance
Y3–4: Identify plant properties • Construct simple shelters or kites • Explore plant use in daily life
Y5–6: Investigate plant selection and properties • Make weaving projects or fish ladders • Understand cultural and environmental significance
Teachers are welcome to request a different combination of activities or share their learning intentions when booking. We tailor the session to best meet your students’ needs, interests, and curriculum goals.
We can tailor a programme to meet your needs or you can choose from our selection of predesigned programmes. More information about these can be found by selecting the drop-down headings under 'Our ELC programmes'.
To ensure you have the best possible visit, please book your school visit to Ōtari-Wilton's Bush with us to make sure that only one school attends at a time.
The Ōtari-Wilton's Bush Nature Trail / Te Ara o te Ngahere environmental education kit is an excellent downloadable tool for teachers to use independently with self guided school groups at Ōtari.
The kit is designed for use with students aged 8 - 12 years.
We want to make sure your group is aware of any of the risks involved around visiting Ōtari-Wilton's Bush. Download our Risk Register before your visit.
A briefing for teachers about Ōtari-Wilton's Bush. This includes important health and safety information for school trips, links to the NZ Curriculum and some engaging pre-trip starter activities to get the class excited before their visit.
Information for the teacher on the waharoa carved gateway at the entrance and a map of the paths and trails to explore. There is also further information on the lookout, viewing platform and boardwalk.
Print and prepare some activities for the tamariki to complete during their visit like a 'My Trip' record book, and a map of the bush.
Follow up with the class with some post visit activities to refresh their learnings with these actions for students and a brief resource list.
Join our educators for an hour-long session at just $5 per child to experience both the wider garden and the Discovery Garden. Tamariki will learn about plants with fun activities that cater to your group’s needs (minimum of 10 children).
Depending on when you visit our knowledgeable team will deliver an engaging, informative and age appropriate session for your tamariki focussed on learning about the season at the time of your visit. Using an inquiry led approach the children will take part in a variety of activities.