Students learn some of their most important lessons outside

2026-03-18 - 16:03

Comment: A proposed change to the National Certificate of Educational Achievement would remove outdoor education from the academic curriculum to a vocational pathway, cutting it from university entrance. This change risks sidelining one of the few parts of schooling where students learn to deal with uncertainty in practice. The proposal – which was put forward in August 2025 and would be implemented from 2028 at the earliest if agreed to by Cabinet – triggered a strong public response, with tens of thousands of people signing a petition opposing the move. So far, the debate has largely focused on whether outdoor education should be treated as a serious academic subject or as preparation for jobs in the outdoor recreation sector. This discussion misses an important point. The issue is not whether outdoor education is academic or vocational. It’s whether the reform recognises how schools develop the capabilities young people need for work, leadership, and economic participation. Much of the reform is built on a simple logic: subjects should be clearly organised into academic or vocational pathways, with knowledge structured, assessed, and credentialled accordingly. But many of the skills that matter most in modern economies don’t fit neatly into a category. These are often described as entrepreneurial competencies: the ability to recognise opportunities, solve unfamiliar problems, work with others, and act effectively in the face of uncertainty. They are not confined to starting businesses. They are expected across almost every professional setting. At Mount Albert Grammar School in Auckland, for example, outdoor education is taken by high-achieving students alongside traditional academic subjects. Comments from parents cited on the school’s website say it fosters teamwork, resilience, and self-awareness, and requires strong communication and problem-solving skills. It’s not positioned as an alternative to academic learning but a different way to develop capabilities that matter beyond the classroom. That sits uneasily with a reform that would reclassify the subject as vocational and remove it from the academic pathway. Outdoor education programmes routinely place students in situations where outcomes are uncertain, and decisions matter, from planning expeditions to navigating changing conditions and assessing risk as a group. When weather conditions change, a route is blocked, or equipment breaks down, there is no model answer. Students must interpret incomplete information and decide what to do next. These are exactly the entrepreneurial decision-making skills our students need for further education and their careers. Research on outdoor and adventure education has pointed to these outcomes for decades. Participants show gains in confidence, leadership, and their sense of control over outcomes. More recent studies link outdoor learning to improvements in wellbeing, social connectedness, and resilience. These are the kinds of capabilities employers consistently say they struggle to find. What is striking is how little of this has entered the current policy debate. Supporters of outdoor education emphasise wellbeing and connection to nature. Those backing the reform focus on clearer pathways into employment. Both perspectives are valid, but they miss the point that outdoor education is not just about where it leads. It’s about what it develops. At a time when policymakers are concerned about productivity, workforce capability, and economic participation, it is worth asking where students actually learn to take initiative, navigate ambiguity, and solve problems without instructions. These capabilities are difficult to teach by conventional classroom instruction. They are even harder to assess with standardised qualifications. But they are practised in environments where uncertainty is real, and consequences matter. Outdoor education, like entrepreneurship education, can provide that. There is an opportunity to make these learning outcomes more visible. Students can be encouraged to reflect on how experiences such as expedition planning, group leadership, and risk assessment connect to later study and work. That does not make it vocational, nor does it require changing the nature of outdoor education. It would simply make explicit what is already happening. None of this means the subject should be immune from reform. But it does suggest the current debate is asking the wrong question. If the goal is to prepare young people for a complex and uncertain economy, then sidelining one of the few parts of schooling where those abilities are developed through direct experience risks weakening, rather than strengthening, the very capabilities the reform aims to build.