The National Army Museum, a GOLD Qualmark tourism operator and Tiaki Promise supporter, and Waiouru Primary School, an Enviroschool committed to empowering students to create change, are collaborating to make a difference.

In March 2024, students from Waiouru School conducted an environmental audit of the National Army Museum, looking at the Museum’s sustainability and day-to-day practices. The students formulated questions to ask the Museum staff during the audit with the intent to join forces to implement new sustainability initiatives, working together to effect change.

Qualmark is New Zealand tourism’s official mark of quality. A Gold Award recognises the National Army Museum as one of the best sustainable tourism businesses in New Zealand, delivering an exceptional customer experience while providing a world class sustainable visitor destination. Pairing this alongside their support for the Tiaki Promise, to care for New Zealand, for now and for future generations, the National Army Museum is committed to being a responsible tourism operator and sustainable organisation from an environmental, people, and operational perspective.

However, they recognise that there is always more that can be done, and they hope their collaboration with Waiouru School helps highlight new areas that could be improved upon, while providing an opportunity for the school to engage in their ongoing journey towards sutainability and student empowerment with the Enviroschools programme.

Enviroschools is an environmental action based programme where young people are empowered to design and lead sustainability projects in their schools and community. It is about creating a healthy, peaceful, sustainable world, enabling students to be teachers within their community and create future leaders who are empowered to make decisions and take action. Waiouru School is dedicated to providing their students with authentic opportunities, and so their collaboration with the National Army Museum has begun.

Museum Director Cherie Meecham says, “The Museum saw this as a great opportunity to collaborate with our local Waiouru community youth in the hope of being able to work together on sustainable projects and initiatives for mutual benefit. Although our purpose is to safeguard and preserve our military history, it is really great to see and be a part of the next generation taking such an interest in protecting our future.”

An unlikely partnership: Waiouru School, who grow future leaders and learners with mana, instilled with a lifelong passion for learning, a sense of community, and who persevere in the face of adversity; and the National Army Museum, who aim to engage, inspire, and educate through telling the stories of real-life soldiers, preserving and protecting New Zealand’s military heritage, and allowing families to reconnect with their ancestors military history. Both working together to make their community a better one for the future.

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