TOPEC - Taranaki Outdoor Pursuits and Education Centre

08/09/2026

It has been awesome to be part of Lucis' learning journey, we are so proud of her achievements

Here we have the amazing Luci working hard in her classroom today! Luci is completing the NZ Certificate in Outdoor Leadership L4 at TOPEC. Luci has been a fantastic TOPEC student for nearly two years. Well done Luci.

24/07/2026

What an action-packed week it has been with the Francis Douglas Year 10 boys! They embraced every challenge, got amongst all the activities with incredible energy, and showed fantastic teamwork, resilience, and enthusiasm every step of the way!

24/07/2026

This is fantastic news!

🎉 **We did it. Outdoor Education is back on the Ministry-led subject list at Years 12 and 13.**

This is an incredible win for Outdoor Education, for our sector, and for the rangatahi who thrive through learning that is active, practical, connected to place, and grounded in relationships with the outdoors and each other.

More than 53,000 people signed the petition. Hundreds made submissions. Teachers, students, whānau, school leaders, academics, outdoor organisations and supporters created videos, shared stories, contacted MPs, spoke to the media, attended the rally, joined live conversations and continued advocating for Outdoor Education.

You shared, and shared, and shared again.

We are incredibly proud of the way this sector came together. Thank you to everyone who stood alongside EONZ and helped demonstrate why Outdoor Education matters.

Outdoor Education is not simply an activity or a setting for learning. It is a subject with its own body of knowledge, learning pathways and contribution to the lives of young people across Aotearoa.

We are delighted that Outdoor Education will now be developed as a Ministry-led subject at Years 12 and 13. We look forward to working with the Ministry of Education and supporting the sector to engage with the curriculum development and consultation processes as they take place.

There is still a critical gap at Year 11.

Our focus will now be on developing an EONZ Year 11 Outdoor Education curriculum to ensure there is a clear pathway between Year 10 and the new Ministry-led subject at Years 12 and 13. We will also continue advocating for a Ministry-led Outdoor Education subject at Year 11.

For schools currently running Year 11 Outdoor Education programmes, our message is clear: **please keep delivering them.**

There is more work ahead, but today we can pause and celebrate what has been achieved.

Outdoor Education is back on the list, and this is an achievement the whole sector can be incredibly proud of. 🌿

16/07/2026

Members are invited to attend our Annual General Meeting.

Date: Monday, 10 August 2026
Time: 5.30pm
Venue: TOPEC, 11 Hydro Road, Burgess Park - Davidson Lodge

The AGM provides an opportunity to receive reports on the past year's activities, review the organisation's performance, and participate in key decisions. Your attendance and participation are encouraged, and we look forward to welcoming you.

08/07/2026

It's always good to get out there and do some professional development when our students are on holiday! Working on navigation and bush skills was the theme over the last couple of days with our amazing staff!

29/06/2026

Huge thanks to Taranaki Kiwi Trust for spending time with us at TOPEC! 🌿 It has been awesome having you here. Our ākonga have learned heaps in such a hands-on way. Thank you for inspiring the next generation of kaitiaki!

08/06/2026

We are incredibly grateful to Govett Quilliam for their outstanding support of TOPEC. Their generosity with their time, effort, and expertise has been invaluable, and we sincerely appreciate their dedication to helping us achieve our goals. Thank you for being such amazing supporters.

14/05/2026

What an opportunity to work alongside Sandra at TRC, thank you for your time.Kaitiakitanga is part of our kaupapa and we love getting out there and doing it!

13/05/2026

Today TOPEC staff honoured the remarkable life of Mike Boyes, who recently passed.Mike was one of the founding members of TOPEC and helped turn an amazing idea into reality. In 1986, Mike and Phil Gayton recognised the need to make Outdoor Education more accessible to Taranaki students, and generations have benefited from their vision and dedication ever since.

Mike was a passionate advocate for the outdoors, a true legend, and an inspiration to so many. His contribution to Outdoor Education and the lives he impacted will not be forgotten.

Ngā mihi nui Mike.

07/05/2026

Amazing! Thank you, thank you, so much for the support this is incredible we look forward to welcoming even more of the Taranaki community to TOPEC, the new lodge will make this a reality

TOPEC Lodge Gets the Green Light 6 May 2026 George Mason Charitable Trust invests $200,000 in the TOPEC Lodge build, securing the final funding needed to bring Taranaki’s beloved outdoor education centre’s new lodge to life. The future of the TOPEC Lodge is now confirmed. After dedicated plannin...