Te Wheke Moana — Marine Education Programme for Schools
Eight tentacles · Rangatahi · Moana Te Wheke Moana Ocean to Trades — marine education for Te Tai Tokerau rangatahi. For ten years we’ve been taking rangatahi into the ocean and bri nging them back changed — calmer, more confident, and seeing the moana through new eyes. Get your ākonga in the water Message us on WhatsApp What it is Te Wheke Moana is a full marine education programme built on freediving, marine science and kaitiakitanga — woven through with mātauranga Māori, and built so rangatahi come out the other side knowing the moana physically, culturally, and scientifically. The ocean is the classroom; the destination is a real job in Northland’s marine economy. It flexes to fit your kura — as outdoor education, marine biology and science, or hauora — with real career paths, tangible outcomes, and internationally recognised certifications along the way. 10 years teaching marine programmes in schools Te Tai Tokerau Internationally recognised certs Ngā kawekawe e waru The eight tentacles Eight dimensions of growth we weave through every programme — from first breath to teaching the next one. 01 Ocean Connection & Hauora The foundation: confidence, breath, and feeling at home in te moana. 02 Safe Ocean Practice What every rangatahi needs before they’re in the water. 03 Citizen Science & Surveys Hands-on marine monitoring with real data. 04 Sustainable Kai Mahinga kai, fish ID, size and bag limits, kaitiakitanga. 05 Ocean to Table From the sea to the plate — processing and preparation included. 06 Breath & Nervous System Hā a Koro Mā, a Kui Mā The breath tools of our tūpuna. 07 Identity & Leadership Mana Ake Finding your stance, your reo, your role. 08 Belonging & Giving Back Whatumanawa The loop closes when you teach the next one. What ākonga learn & certify in Real skills. Internationally recognised. Transferable anywhere in the world. In the water Freediving, snorkelling, mermaiding, and the snorkel instructor pathway. Scuba available as an add-on. On the boat Boat handling, seamanship, and basic marine engineering — plus sea time towards maritime tickets, signed off by a skipper, towards their skipper tickets. Through the lens Underwater photography and video — telling the story of the moana. Mātauranga & marine science Mātauranga Māori, scientific surveying, data collection, and hauora moana — ocean-health monitoring. Marine ecology & ID Marine ecology and blue oceans — fish, coral, invertebrates, nudibranchs, sharks, marine mammals, sea turtles, and manta and ray ecology. Kaitiakitanga in practice Kai collection, sustainable harvesting, and regenerative practices. Who it’s for Designed to grow with your rangatahi, year on year. The marine-trades pathway is built for Years 11, 12 and 13 — an entry point into a journey that deepens each year. Rangatahi build genuine, transferable skills and certifications that mean something anywhere in the world. —Primary, intermediate, and secondary kura and schools across Te Tai Tokerau —Kura kaupapa Māori —Marine education streams A living network across Northland Ākonga learn alongside the people who do this mahi for real — plus hapū and Māori-led initiatives, restoration projects, and hands-on data surveys in the field. Delivery runs from Paihia across Te Tai Tokerau — the sheltered bays of the Bay of Islands, the clear freshwater of Kai Iwi Lakes, and out to the Cavalli Islands and the Poor Knights Islands for senior groups. Commercial divers Skippers Marine farmers Marine scientists & engineers Regional trades Hapū & Māori-led initiatives Land restoration & riparian planting Field data surveys Where it leads — full circle The moana teaches them, and they grow to teach the moana. Not a one-off experience — a pathway with real, tangible outcomes. Rangatahi move from first breath in the water through to the marine trades, and on to instructor training, where a learner becomes a teacher. And every one becomes the seed of the next cohort. ↻ The full circle SEED OF THE NEXT COHORT 1 Learn 2 Care for 3 Restore 4 Feed 5 Teach What’s available Get your ākonga in the water. Until August · Free Wahine Moana spaces A programme for your wahine, funded through the Tū Manawa Active Fund — in school hours or after school, at no cost to your ākonga. Discover freediving and mermaiding, learn to survey and read the health of the moana, gather kai with care, and connect to te taiao — alongside breathwork and nervous-system regulation. Open now Term 4 short courses Applications are open for our Term 4 short courses and micro-credentials — internationally recognised, and real, transferable credits on the path to a marine career. 2027 Year-long courses Short courses, micro-credentials and full year-long courses, as part of the marine trades programme we’re developing now with the Ministry of Education. Ways to work with us 01One-off ocean confidence days 02Term-long Te Wheke Moana programmes — 8 sessions 03NCEA-aligned options for senior students Locally led, locally delivered We design Te Wheke Moana in your rohe, with your people, for your rangatahi. Funding We can help you access the Tū Manawa Fast Fund (Sport Northland) for rangatahi recreation outcomes — and we’ve delivered on the Te Taitokerau Trades Academy pathway. Safety, certification & accreditation Freedive Aotearoa operates under a WorkSafe-aligned Safety Management System. SSI Instructor Training Centre AdventureMark Certified Qualmark Accredited WorkSafe-aligned Safety Management System Read our safety standards → Design it with us, not for us The best place to start is a kōrero. Tell us about your kura, your rohe and your rangatahi — and we’ll build Te Wheke Moana with you. [email protected] Message us on WhatsApp Te Wheke Moana draws on the Te Wheke model of hauora developed by Dr Rangimārie Rose Pere (1991). 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