The Sea Education Aotea Charitable Trust exists to teach our tamariki on Aotea | Great Barrier Island how to be kaitiaki of our moana and in the process uses our water-based activities to build G.R.I.T! Guts. Resilience. Initiative. Tenacity!

Over the summer terms, the SEA Trust teaches water skills via context learning currently through sailing, kayaking and swimming. This is offered to all three primary schools on the island, and in 2023 we are planning to expand this further to our pre-schoolers (Aotea Playcentre) and to our high school students ((Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (The Correspondence School)) plus we will include snorkeling and citizen science as an option. The expansion being funding dependent.

During the winter months we aim to teach marine and maritime education. We are wanting to expand this winter programme, called the 7 Seas, to not only include all three schools each week but to have a significant action component with the possibility of applying some form of a marine protected area to help with environmental issues such as, marine sediment dumping, rubbish accumulation on our beaches and marine invasive species taking over our precious marine waters.

By being able to offer these learning opportunities to our tamariki, youth and adult volunteers, it also gives them the opportunity to socialise with each other which is significantly important in a rurally isolated community.

More about us

We teach our tamariki and adult volunteers on Aotea Great Barrier Island about our marine environment - what is in it, connections & exploring methods, like sailing, kayaking and snorkeling. Resulting in an increase in environmental and social connections.