Abstract:
The aim of this research was to investigate if New Zealand students aged between 11–12 years of age could develop their understanding of the concept of sustainability through engagement in an environmental education programme set in the context of a local lake. Sustainability, or sustainable development (Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, 2002), can be regarded as an integral part of an environmental education programme for the following reasons. First because New Zealand is a signatory to Agenda 21, a “global action plan for achieving sustainable development” (Gough, 1997: 2) and New Zealanders have made a commitment to implement its recommendations, therefore an understanding of the concept is needed. Second, an understanding of the concept of sustainability is required because it is embedded in many recent statutes that affect the everyday lives of New Zealanders. For example, the Resource Management Act 1991 and the Fisheries Act 1996 (PCE, 2002). Third, New Zealanders need an understanding of sustainability because there has been a move away from centralized decision-making to communities and individuals making decisions about managing their environment (Ministry for the Environment, 1995). This decentralisation has occurred because individuals and communities have a vested interest in managing their environment well because they have to live with the long-term consequences.
