Hillary Outdoors is one of the leading providers of Outdoor Education and personal development programmes for the youth of New Zealand.

Celebrating 50 years of operation in 2023 the Charitable Trust, created through the strong vision of Sir Graeme Dingle and his friend Sir Edmund Hillary, has had over 250,000 students attend programmes at its center’s near Tongariro National Park and on Great Barrier Island.

This century has seen the development of a popular nationwide secondary school outdoor events programme with the Hillary Challenge for senior students held annually since 2001 and the junior Get2Go Challenge from 2006. Over 35,000 students have now taken part in these challenges which blend what would typically be considered outdoor education, with high performance sport, into something similar in nature to Adventure Racing.

Teams of eight students work together in a series of challenges that test a wide range of teamwork and outdoor skills, so strong communication, strategic thinking, the ability to work with the strengths and weaknesses of all team members and quick decision making are often keys to success.

First and foremost, these events are about participation and giving it a go. Inspiring young people to reconnect with nature and to get out of the classroom to try new things and have fun, away from the typical sporting environment. Careful planning of the challenges ensures that they cater to all students regardless of their experience and fitness. There is also a very competitive aspect to the events for teams that choose to put in the hard work to hone their skills, fitness, and teamwork. These teams are looking to earn places in the finals.

Both the Hillary Challenge and Get2Go Finals are weeklong outdoor team challenges, held at the Hillary Outdoors centres, that test the students both as individuals and in their teams on a level that surpasses anything they can experience in more traditional sporting codes.

The recent single day North and South Island Hillary Challenge events held near Rotorua and Geraldine saw nearly 400 students front up for the challenge which tested their navigation, running, mountain biking and teamwork. They were a huge success. Many teams were there simply for awesome experience, but the competitive teams were also there to race and prove themselves worthy of an invitation to represent their school in the National Hillary Challenge Final in October, to go head to head over five tough days alongside the six best teams from each island.

Video of the 2022 Final.

The schools that have earned a place in the 23^rd Hillary Challenge Final are –

Motueka High (Tasman)

John Paul College (Rotorua)

New Plymouth Girls/Boys High (New Plymouth)

Wakatipu High (Queenstown)

Cashmere High (Christchurch)

Middleton Grange (Christchurch)

Rangi Ruru/Christchurch Boys (Christchurch)

Craighead Diocesan/ Timaru Boys (Timaru)

Francis Douglas/Sacred Heart (New Plymouth)

Whakatane High (Whakatane)

Onslow College (Wellington)

Trident High (Whakatane)

Article added: Tuesday 30 May 2023