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by Dr Shayne Galloway - Queenstown

As a Queenstown resident, a dad, and a former lecturer in Outdoor Education (OE) at the University of Otago, I’ve considered the Government’s proposed changes to OE with growing alarm.

The plan to remove OE from the senior subject list and shift it to a narrow vocational track is more than just a bureaucratic shuffle. Here in Queenstown, it strikes at the heart of what makes our schools, our young people, and our community thrive.

Outdoor Education is not a nice-to-have. In the Whakatipu, it is woven into our identity. Our mountains, rivers, and trails are not just backdrops for tourism – they are classrooms that shape resilience, teamwork, and leadership. Outdoor Education has long been a way for students to discover who they are, to connect with the environment, and to learn how to work together when conditions are challenging. These are not abstract life skills; they are real, transferable, and urgently needed in every sector of our society.

This matters locally more than most places in New Zealand. Queenstown’s economy, culture, and future are all tied to the outdoors. From ski fields to guiding companies to conservation projects, our community depends on a steady flow of people who are skilled, passionate, and grounded in the values OE fosters. By shifting the subject into a vocational silo, we risk narrowing its reach. Fewer students will take it, fewer will discover their potential in it, and the talent pipeline into outdoor industries will shrink. That is not just a loss for students; it’s a loss for our whole region.

If just 30% of our three million annual visitors are attracted by adventurous outdoor experiences, then 900,000 people arrive each year needing to be looked after safely. That’s on us.

We also need to focus on who loses out if these changes go ahead. Outdoor Education is the most effective way to re-engage young people who don’t find their spark in traditional classrooms. For many, it is the subject that keeps them connected to school and gives them a reason to push through. Removing it from the core curriculum undermines one of the strongest tools we have for inclusion and engagement. Reducing OE only increases the influence of all those screens.

The outdoors is part of who we are in Queenstown. It deserves to remain part of who we are in our schools. That means keeping OE on the general curriculum subject list.

I encourage everyone in our community to take action and join the 51,000 people who have signed the petition on our.actionstation.org.nz. Contact our local MP, Joseph Mooney, and Minister Erica Stanford. Tell them clearly: Outdoor Education is essential for Queenstown’s students, our economy, and our identity. Keep it where it is!