Earlier on in the year I applied to the Blake Inspire programme, left in the legacy of Sir Peter Blake. Not only was he a well known and accomplished yachtsman but a passionate conservationist for the environment.  I was privileged enough to be one of a hundred students selected throughout the country as a delegate.

My programme was a five day course based at Auckland’s Shakespear Regional Park in Whangaparaoa doubling as a conservation sanctuary and working farm. The first day consisted of travel and competitively running through a confidence course as a team led by Navy members. They also took us through different leadership styles like directive, participative and delegative as a part of the leadership section. The programme included topic sections of marine, agriculture, freshwater, climate change and matauranga Māori. These were shown through a variety of activities such as kayaking, exploring the rocky shore, visiting the local iwi owned Pourewa gardens, looking at freshwater stream health, city to farm operations, giving Wainui Primary a hand with their sustainable goals, policy simulations run by the Ministry of Environment, a VR headset session, lunch at a B-corp company and last but not least a walk through Tāwharanui Regional Park.

As an individual hoping to pursue the world of environmental conservation in the future, this was such an incredible opportunity for me to participate in! I would highly recommend this programme to other students with a sustainable mindset wanting to make a difference and be inspired. By participating and becoming a delegate, it makes me eligible for other programmes in the future. They have so many on offer and cater for all age groups, so if this sounds like your type of thing it is totally worthwhile applying (all costs paid for too!) Not to mention the like-minded incredible people I met along my journey, and the ideas I want to incorporate with the school, and share with all students.

If you are interested in learning more, feel free to contact me - My emails are always open and I am very willing to talk about the programme and my experience.