One initiative that has impressed us recently is the Ministry of Education’s On Our Way programme, which is designed to make school travel greener and healthier. The Ministry is working with Sport NZ in a joint action under Aotearoa New Zealand’s Emission Reduction Plan (ERP) to reduce emissions from the transport sector by 41% by 2035. There is a real need to do so.
The Ministry has estimated that around 835,000 students (ākonga) and staff commute to school every day, and mostly in private vehicles. This represents more than 30% of the education sector’s total emissions, so the Ministry has identified a way to reduce emissions and offer schools the chance to build students’ climate literacy by getting involved in examining the role of transport in their school lives, and how transport might look in the future.
Piloted this year, the plan for 2025 is for Sport NZ to support schools to implement On Our Way.
Tracy Finlayson, Programme Director at the Ministry, and Chris Crichton, Manager – Education at Sport NZ, sat down with Sustainable Impact to help us learn about this forward-thinking programme.
Tracy starts by saying that On Our Way is about taking the opportunity to empower change through transport.
Picture a future where every step, pedal or wheel makes a positive impact. On Our Way focuses on transport as one of the largest emissions sources for schools. It introduces a path, through climate literacy, to help prepare our student ākonga for a lowcarbon future and a changed climate.”
Helping ākonga to look backwards, at the present and into the future, Tracy adds that On Our Way is also about living the well-known whakatauki (proverb) ‘I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past’.
“On Our Way is designed to help individual schools to uncover, assess, and respond to their own transport story. It looks at how we used to travel to school 100 years ago, how we get to school now, and how we might get to school in 2050 and beyond.
“We believe that the future is up to us, and there are many pathways on a climate literacy journey; On Our Way is one of them – a unique all-of-school opportunity to build and develop climate literacy skills for ākonga, kaiako (teacher) and communities alike.”
What does On Our Way involve?
The programme uses the same process businesses, councils, governments, and international bodies undertake to measure, predict, and respond to climate change, says Tracy.
“Schools explore and participate in discovering their transport environment, how it has changed over time, what they use it for, the climate impact of that use, what choices are currently available, and what that transport could look like in the future.
“Work starts with understanding a school’s carbon footprint, carrying out data collection and analysis, and teaching that provides a climate literacy view of transport across the components of your school curriculum.”
In practice, schools and students can get involved in the programme in several ways. First, schools commit to a whole-school approach to teaching the curriculum material, ensuring kaiako are supported and prepared to do so.
Each participating school aims to understand its carbon footprint by collecting and analysing data. This involves collecting and recording the mode of transport for all ākonga a minimum of three times during a term long period, utilising the tools and guidance provided, to enable accurate emissions calculations. Each time they collect transport information over a week-long period.
Then ākonga are engaged through the school curriculum to examine a climate literacy view of transport. This involves taking a closer look at the data that underpins their carbon footprint allowing them to test, improve and respond to their footprint.
“To bring data collection to life, On Our Way includes reporting and analysis that allows students to see and visually share detailed data about their school – helping them, their teachers, and school community to understand and respond to their school’s transport emissions,” says Tracy.
On Our Way is designed to help individual schools to uncover, assess, and respond to their own transport story. It looks at how we used to travel to school 100 years ago, how we get to school now, and how we might get to school in 2050 and beyond.
“Collecting their own transport data enables each school to apply climate science principles to test the accuracy of the assumptions that underpin their footprint and set realistic emission reduction targets and track change over time.
“On Our Way encourages schools to teach these units in a cohesive and coordinated manner, ensuring lead kaiako and ākonga are provided the best opportunity to connect their learning across subjects and year levels, and to view the school’s transport environment through different perspectives, improving each school’s climate literacy outcomes.”
Supported by Sport NZ
On Our Way is supported by Sport NZ in partnership with the Ministry of Education. Ministry of Education and Sport NZ are committed to Aotearoa’s Emission Reduction Plan and this includes greener and healthier school travel Chris Crichton says: “Sport NZ is focused on supporting active learning environments in schools and kura. On Our Way will encourage students to get active while traveling to and from school. The initiative will build on the successes of Healthy Active Learning, which boosts students’ enjoyment and confidence in physical activity, while also strengthening community connections.”
On Our Way will encourage students to get active while traveling to and from school. The initiative will build on the successes of Healthy Active Learning, which boosts students’ enjoyment and confidence in physical activity.
Pilots leading the way
On Our Way has already enjoyed some great successes around Aotearoa New Zealand, engaging students and teachers alike.
Jarod Summers, Deputy Principal of Birchville School describes the On Our Way programme as well aligned with their school’s strategic plan, to ensure their students are future focused and know what is happening in the world. He said the resources are thoughtfully designed for teaching and very practical, providing the real-life experiences that kids need. Feedback from parents has also been positive, as students demonstrate their learning by taking the conversation home on how we all move around and what choices we have.
North East Valley Normal School became the first school in Ōtepoti to take up the On Our Way programme. Theresa Bowen, Teacher, says the breadth of the transport insights astonishes her. The overall framework for climate education, the data and the teaching resources have totally hit the spot, she adds: “We’ve all been waiting for this. It’s just mind-blowing.”
Tracy says that these are just two of many pilots underway that are providing great opportunities for ākonga and kaiako. And it is far from exclusive, as she says. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. “Come join us and find out what this pathway has to offer. Let’s get On Our Way together.”
To find out more about On Our Way, email [email protected]
