It’s just a school garden.
We We hear that phrase more often than you might expect.
Sometimes it’s said kindly. Sometimes dismissively. Sometimes as a way of politely closing a conversation. But every time we hear it, we know the same thing is happening, the person saying it hasn’t really seen what these spaces do yet.
Because if what Oke builds were just school gardens, a few things wouldn’t add up.
Oke wouldn’t still be here ten years on. Schools wouldn’t be actively seeking us out. Researchers wouldn’t be spending time measuring outcomes. And communities wouldn’t be giving up weekends to help build these spaces with us.
So let’s slow things down and be clear about what Oke actually builds.
What we create in schools are permanent wellbeing and learning environments. They’re not programmes that run for a term and disappear. They’re not pilots designed to look good in a report. And they’re not short-term fixes that vanish when funding dries up.
These spaces stay. Once they’re built, they become part of the school. They influence how learning happens every day, how teachers teach, how kids engage, and how schools connect with their communities.
And this isn’t just something we feel good about, it’s backed by evidence.
Independent research led by Yimei Chuah, in partnership with the University of Auckland Early Learning Lab, has explored what happens when children learn in outdoor and garden-based environments like the ones Oke builds.
The findings are clear. Children learning in these spaces experience stronger social connection and peer support. They show increased confidence, calm and emotional regulation. Engagement improves, particularly for students who struggle in traditional classroom settings. Teachers report more balanced learning relationships and greater agency in how they teach. Schools also see deeper connections between learning, whānau and the wider community.
Crucially, this research is grounded in Te Whare Tapa Whā and Fonofale wellbeing frameworks. It reflects the realities of learning and wellbeing in Aotearoa. This isn’t imported theory or borrowed thinking, it’s evidence rooted in our context, our communities and our kids.
Alongside the wellbeing outcomes, there’s another layer that often gets overlooked.
Partners like Te Hononga Akoranga COMET have been highlighting these environments as authentic STEM and inquiry learning spaces. Not staged activities or worksheet science, but real-world learning grounded in curiosity and purpose.
In these spaces, students explore ecology and biodiversity. They think in systems, collect and analyse data, test ideas, adapt their thinking, and lead their own investigations. Learning becomes something they do, not something that’s done to them. The environment provides the context, and engagement follows naturally.
So no, this work isn’t really about growing vegetables.
Growing food is a great outcome, and it matters. It connects kids to whenua, kai and sustainability. But it’s not the point.
What these spaces really do is reduce disengagement before it escalates. They give schools infrastructure they are not otherwise funded to provide. They embed wellbeing into the learning environment instead of bolting it on later when things go wrong. And they create long-term assets that quietly deliver outcomes year after year.
This is preventative work. Foundational work. The kind of work that doesn’t always shout the loudest, but makes a measurable difference over time.
And here’s the part we need to be honest about.
You don’t get ten years of demand, research validation and community buy-in from “just a garden”.
You get that when something works. When schools see the difference. When teachers feel supported. When kids thrive in ways they didn’t before. And when communities recognise something worth investing their time and energy into.
So we’ll leave you with this.
What Oke delivers is one of the lowest cost-per-child wellbeing infrastructures in the system.
And after ten years of building, learning and listening, we’re done pretending it’s anything less.