
School Programme
Join us as a Trees for Survival School!
Every school community who participates in our school based environmental education programme are supported with the resources and knowledge to grow NZ native plant species from seedlings, nurture these and take part in an annual planting day alongside landowners, partners and their peers to plant the trees they nurtured!
Trees for Survival's environmental education school programme empowers students to be actively involved in the restoration of their environment.
What’s involved?
Trees for Survival schools are provided with all the resources to bring the Trees for Survival programme to life.
Every Trees for Survival school receives:
2 x purpose built shade houses measuring 3.0m x 1.5m which will be delivered to and set up at your school
Irrigation system (watering) and a timer
Crates and planting bags
Approx 900 native plant seedlings and potting mix each year
Your school will need to help identify a suitable well lit, level area for the shade house to be located and provide a dedicated tap for the irrigation. It is useful to have the shade house located where it is easy to access on all sides.
Each school will be appointed a local Facilitator who will oversee the running of the programme including planting days.
Education in Action
We provide the opportunity to align Trees for Survival activities with a range of learning opportunities for all ages.
We are excited to be working on a curriculum linked teaching guide and video for teachers use to support their Trees for Survival activities!
We hope to be able to share the first stage of this guide in Term 3 2025
Currently the Trees for Survival programme can be aligned with the following NCEA units:
Level 3 Unit+22175v2, 27208v2, 27210v2, 29829v1
Level 2 Unit+31656, 21556, 2765, 9681, US2803,29493, 29669.
Our plants
To support the natural ecology in New Zealand, we only plant NZ native plants across our Trees for Survival school programme. Plants are restoration species, they are hardy, adaptable and suitable for growing in the schools shade houses on an annual basis.
Native plant seeds are collected by ecological region and are germinated and grown on at several nurseries.
Schools will receive approx 900 seedlings (usually 5 species) which are delivered to schools every year to begin the process of transplanting (potting up) and growing.

Otaua School has been working in partnership with TFSNZ for approximately 5 years. We absolutely love this learning opportunity. We are a little country school but only 5 minutes from our local town so we have quite a diverse range of students. Many are on local farms and have a strong connection with the whenua, but equally as many live in town and have limited experience planting and growing.
The children take pride in seeing the plants growing in our planting bay and throw themselves wholeheartedly into planting day. In fact, this day is a highlight of the school year for many! Thank you TFSNZ for this opportunity.”
– Otaua School
Trees for Survival school locations
Trees for Survival is located across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Please zoom in/out and click on the icons below to find see what schools are involved in our programme.
Te Tai Tokerau - Northland
Hikurangi School
Kaiwaka School
Kamo Intermediate School
Maunu School
Portland School Whangarei
Tāmaki-makau-rau - Auckland
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Waikato
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Te Moana-a-Toi - Bay of Plenty
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Te Tairāwhiti - Gisborne
Awapuni School
Makauri School
Ngatapa School
Patutahi School
Tologa Bay Area School
Tiniroto School
Te Matau-a-Māui - Hawke's Bay
Help us plan where we should expand the programme in future! Show your interest by filling in our application to join.
Taranaki
Devon Intermediate School
Green School
Hawera Christian School
Huirangi School
Kaimata School
Kaponga School
Manukorihi Intermediate School
Matapu School
Moturoa School
Oakura School
Opunake High School
Spotswood College
St Joseph’s New Plymouth
St Joseph’s Opunake
St Patricks School South Taranaki
Manawatū - Whanganui
Help us plan where we should expand the programme in future! Show your interest by filling in our application to join.
Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara - Wellington
Help us plan where we should expand the programme in future! Show your interest by filling in our application to join.
Te Tai-o-Aorere - Tasman
Help us plan where we should expand the programme in future! Show your interest by filling in our application to join.
Whakataū - Nelson
Help us plan where we should expand the programme in future! Show your interest by filling in our application to join.
Te Tauihu-o-te-waka - Marlborough
Help us plan where we should expand the programme in future! Show your interest by filling in our application to join.
Te Tai Poutini - West Coast
Help us plan where we should expand the programme in future! Show your interest by filling in our application to join.
Waitaha - Canterbury
Help us plan where we should expand the programme in future! Show your interest by filling in our application to join.
Ōtākou - Otago
Queenstown Primary School
Shotover Primary School
Murihiku - Southland
Help us plan where we should expand the programme in future! Show your interest by filling in our application to join.
Principal Partners
We are incredibly thankful to our Principal Partners whose generous support ensures we can bring Trees for Survival to more schools, educating more students, and planting more trees than ever before!
Trees for Survival is a Rotary initiated project, originally established by the Rotary Club of Pakuranga in 1991.
We are thrilled to receive ongoing support from numerous Rotary Clubs with club members regularly helping at our planting days.
Partner with a school
We welcome Rotary Clubs and corporate partners to support our school programme.
By partnering with our schools, you’ll have the opportunity to be involved with your local school and give back to the local community and environment.