A Vital Part of the Curriculum
“Try new things. Don’t just stand by and watch the opportunities fly past you.”
These are the words of a Year 10 Dilworth student, but they encompass a broader philosophy at Dilworth. In an age where digital screens often replace outdoor activity, the school has taken a bold step to embed outdoor education – not asan extracurricular activity or part of vocational training - but as a coreelement of the curriculum – and the positive results are becoming evident.
Known as Learning in the Outdoors (LiTO), the programme is now one of three core strandsin the school’s curriculum, sitting alongside academic studies and the Ako Puāwaitanga Wellbeing Programme. The goal? To build resilience and leadership in Dilworth’s young men, many of whom are experiencing the New Zealand wilderness for the first time.
The setting for this transformation is the Mangatāwhiri Campus near the Hunua Ranges. Once the site of the Hotel du Vin with some excellent but run-down facilities, the property was purchased by the Dilworth Trust Board in 2009 and transformed into its rural campus.
It opened in 2012, but the arrival of Headmaster Dan Reddiex in 2019 triggered a total curricular redesign and integration into the curriculum.
“We’ve created a bespoke curriculum that spans Years 7 to 13,” says Reddiex. The programme is graduated, focusing on five key skills: tramping, rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, and water safety. As their skills grow, so does the challenge.”
To leadthis change, Dilworth appointed Jamie Pennell—a former NZSAS Captain andrecipient of the New Zealand Gallantry Star—to oversee the campus in 2022.
“We neededsomeone who could lead an expert team through a major programme change whilemaintaining the highest safety standards,” Reddiex explains. “Jamie bringsincredible focus, but also the compassion necessary to help teenagers navigatethese challenges.”
UnderPennell’s guidance, and working alongside academic staff and outdoor staff, thecurriculum has become a seven-year sequential pathway:
- The Foundation (Years 7-8): Frequent short stays focusing on "levelling up" bushcraft and water safety.
- The Stretch (Year 9): A 12-day journey where students begin managing their own gear andgroup decisions.
- The Peak (Year 10): The 23-day "casting off" point featuring the "Tough Guy Challenge" and Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award.
- The Leadership (Years 11-13): A shift toward experiential leadership, culminating in a Year 13 retreat.
Dan Fieten, academic lead at the Mangatāwhiri Campus, explains that the programme follows a "Hero’s Journey" framework.
“Each stage guides students from comfort to challenge, from uncertainty to confidence, and from self-focus to service,” says Fieten. He emphasises that while the 4-week Year 10 experienceis the "peak," the progression is carefully managed. “Weencourage young men to step outside their comfort zone and intotheir growth zone”
And great results are being observed in both the classroom and at home. Qualitative feedback from parents highlights a newfound independence. One parent noted their son is "more assertive" and "less reliant on Mum and Dad," Showinga deeper reflection on his place in the world.
“I learned that I can lift people up or push people down with my words,” reflected one Year 10 student. Powerful stuff, and it is this level of self-awareness that Fieten believes cannot be replicated alone, but can be achieved more organically than in traditionalclassroom settings.
Like every aspect of Dilworth today, student safety is the number one priority. Qualworx audits the programme against Adventure Activity regulations—the same gold standard used by commercial white-water rafting and bungee operations. By employing specialist instructors (including search and rescue experts for caving), Dilworth ensures that everychallenge is met with the highest level of professional oversight.
Dilworth’s staff also have the opportunity to use the Mangatāwhiri Campus for professional learning, and it provides excellent spaces for Dilworth’s choir, Fortissimo, to practise, with only the birds there to sing back! There are also opportunities for other schools and adventure-based organisations to hire out the campus and utilise the school’s highly specialist outdoor staff during the school’s quieterperiods.
A strongsupporter of the transformative power of outdoor learning, Head of Campus JamiePennell comments on the reason he is so committed to LiTO:
"Bythe time a Dilworth student graduates, he has done more than just see the North Island’s most beautiful landscapes—he has navigated the landscape of his owncharacter. He leaves not just with an education, but with the internal compassnecessary to lead himself and others with purpose”.
Dilworth isachieving striking outcomes from its outdoor programme, which has a positiveinfluence on other aspects of student development, including self-managementand academic performance.
