FAQs

Yes. However if you have any of your own gear please bring it with you. A list of required clothing/equipment, and a list of what Hillary Outdoors can provide, is in the Student Information Booklet. There is no additional charge for this, and we do not need to know in advance what gear a student might require (with the exception of sleeping bags at Tongariro).

Hillary Outdoors’ gear is expensive and sometimes hard to replace. Most gear is identified by unique number and issued to individual students, some is issued to an activity group of 10 students. If a student or a group loses a piece of gear or breaks it through unreasonable carelessness then Hillary Outdoors will invoice the school or individual for the cost of replacement.

Adult helpers with a school are arranged via the school and we do not take independent bookings from parents during school weeks. If you are keen to come with your child’s school please contact the school directly.

The value of the experience is closely linked to the independence that a student gains while away from home and parents. Schools sometimes use parents as accompanying adults, or a teacher may have their own child as a student at the school. In this case we usually recommend that a parent does not accompany their child during the day for outdoor activities.

Cameras are permitted, phones are not. If a student’s phone is their camera, unfortunately they will not be allowed to use it.

Take a look at our Safety Management System Chart and further information on the Safety First page of this website.

We aim to reply to you within 2 business days. If you have not heard back within that time frame, please contact us by phone to check we have received your enquiry.

We’d love you to support Hillary Outdoors by purchasing branded merchandise from our shop, donating or sponsoring us. You may also be interested in finding out about Tertiary courses, volunteering at Hillary Outdoors or getting involved with Events.

We are able to take a message during normal business hours to be delivered to a student at an appropriate time. We prefer this to be kept to ‘vital information only’. During the day, and sometimes when the students are out on overnight, we are able to communicate to instructors via radio but messages to students would only be delivered if they were urgent.

Hillary Outdoors needs to receive information about dietary needs at least two weeks before arrival. The normal way to do this is via the online Medical and Consent Form which you will be given by your school. The school will then provide a summary of dietary and medical information to Hillary Outdoors. Frequently we ask that clients assist us by bringing food from home, for example gluten-free snacks or bread.

In the case of severe allergies we are able to ensure that a client’s diet is free from, for example, nuts or dairy. However our kitchens are places where nut and dairy products are commonly used, and we are unable to guarantee there will not be traces of these products, or people in the same area eating these products. We have students come to both centres with severe allergies and are happy to work with these. In the case of severe allergies we are more than happy for you to contact the Centre directly prior to your child’s visit so that we can ensure we understand all their needs.

Our first priority in the case of an accident is to resolve the situation and to minimise harm to all concerned, including the person who has had the accident as well as the rest of the group and any Hillary Outdoors or school staff. We will contact a student’s caregivers and school as soon as practicable, and involve them in the communication process.

There is a list of on the Activities page, however you can also view photos of some of the activities on our Photo Galleries page.

We use sequenced progressions of appropriate activities, and the principle of a supportive environment, to encourage people to step out of their comfort zone and gain learning from the opportunities presented to them. We do not force people to take part in an activity.

Some activities can be easily managed if an individual chooses not to participate, for example rock-climbing or abseiling. The individual can still be present and be part of the group dynamic. Some trips might require an abseil as part of the whole journey, in which case participation on that journey depends on completion of the abseil – it may be possible for this to be done with another person or the instructor.

Some people may have fears that relate to the very environment the activity occurs in – for example caving, or sea kayaking in deep water. In this case if a person chooses to opt out then they will not be with the group at all for that activity or journey – this may mean they are left back at the centre, under the supervision of a teacher or non-instructing staff.

In rare cases there may be a genuine requirement for a student to participate in something that they would rather choose to opt out of. For example if the weather, terrain or sea state changes during a journey and becomes more challenging, an individual may decide to opt out. The constraints of the situation may mean that the group and instructor will work with them to continue the journey until they are in a more comfortable psychological or physical place. Our instructors are skilled facilitators who know the area well and constantly monitor changing conditions, so this situation can normally be easily avoided.

Working with self-imposed limitations and the limitations of others brings situations that provide ample opportunities for learning and development. We aim to increase students’ resilience and skills, but do not seek risk for its own sake.

When you attend Hillary Outdoors, please name or label all your clothing and equipment. Some of the items left behind are very expensive – so it is in your best interests to name your clothing!!  We recommend that students pack their own gear so they know what they have. If you do accidentally leave gear behind, contact us immediately and we will see if we can locate the item/s for you. We are able to mail lost property to a student’s home at your cost.

Booking is easy! Fill out the details and submit through our Contact page and we will be in touch.

Every morning our field staff have an intense safety briefing where weather is analysed. Each day’s activities are chosen to best complement the weather we are experiencing. No matter what the weather, you will be out there doing something exciting and adventurous.

Hillary Outdoors Tongariro borders Tongariro National Park so it can get quite cold, even in summer. The same goes for Hillary Outdoors Great Barrier, the water can be cold in summer too! So a good set of polypropylene thermals are needed year round. It’s a good idea to bring along 2 pairs of sandshoes as well, one for getting wet, and one for staying dry. These should both be lace up. For an extensive gear list for your course, schools should refer to the Student Booklet,  other courses should contact Hillary Outdoors directly.

Hillary Outdoors, Port Fitzroy Mail Centre, Great Barrier Island, 0991. Packages must be sent with NZ Post. Other contact details can be found on our Contact page.

We have scholarships available for financially disadvantaged youth. This is for students up to the age of 18. If you would like more information, please contact Hillary Outdoors directly for an application pack.

The Dingle Biscuit Recipe

PRESS INTO GREASED BAKING DISH

BAKE @ 180 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes

CUT while warm, makes approximately 40 biscuits…….enjoy!!

Sector wide learning has identified the need to ensure significant risks are highlighted and do not get lost in a myriad of more minor details. Hillary Outdoors addresses this need by:

• Aligning and streamlining all of our safety systems to make them more user friendly
• Clarifying and clearly communicating safety standards across all pursuits
• Highlighting those factors most likely to lead to serious harm
• Providing resources to allow instructors to carry simple hazard and crisis response information in the field
• Increasing the focus on crisis prevention and pre-planning for crisis management
• Enhancing instructor management and support systems
• Meeting current legislative requirements
• Developing a strong, conservative safety culture

Refer to our overview of the Safety Management System in the Safety section of our website, as well as other answers in these FAQs for further information about how important your safety is to us.

The following document contains answers to the questions you may be asked by your Principal, or Board of Trustees about Hillary Outdoors’ safety systems in order to meet the guidelines for Education Outside of the Classroom set by the Ministry of Education. Some of the answers contain hyperlinks to sections of our safety policy.

See information on the Safety First page of this website about the 3 tiers of the Safety Management System.

Hillary Outdoors has always had robust process to record all incidents and near misses. We are constantly reviewing our operation to ensure we gather information and learn from the information we generate. All incidents are reviewed internally and any incidents which we believe are significant are reviewed by our external Safety Advisory Committee. From their response and guidance, improvements to our practice may be recommended.

This is core to our practice and training at Hillary Outdoors. The SMS is a living process – things change on a regular basis and each Tier of the SMS is reviewed on a 12 monthly basis. Many AMPs are subject to minor improvements on a much more frequent cycle. Every member of staff is made aware of any change or amendment to detail through the Centre Manager, the Safety manager, the Duty Manager and/or the Daily staff meetings prior to starting work each day.

All Hillary Outdoors staff are trained and assessed in their ability to actively manage risk in a variety of situations and environments. Training occurs at induction and continues throughout their career with Hillary Outdoors. All our Instructors have relevant and current skills, first aid certificates and appropriate driving licences. Changing conditions during the day are monitored by our Duty Manager as well as by instructors in the field. Activities are cancelled, or adapted and contingency plans put into place if necessary.
We are proud of our standards of safety. If there is any aspect of the above information on which you require greater detail – please do ask us and we will be happy to provide it.

Instructors are selected based on their previous training and experience with an expectation that they will already have a great deal of the experience needed to acquire a range of competencies. Many staff will have completed a 2 year training course in outdoor education (often at Hillary Outdoors) and have several years of experience in the outdoor industry before joining the Hillary Outdoors team. We pride ourselves on our rigorous selection process.

Hillary Outdoors meets training standards which comply with nationally accepted best practice standards. Our internal training (covering aspects from educational developments to activity specific training, mentoring, co-instructing and buddy observations) focuses on further developing staff expertise and skills. Our Instructors are encouraged to gain New Zealand Outdoor Instructors Association (NZOIA) professional qualifications as they progress in their careers.

Our maximum ratio is one instructor to ten students (1:10), with up to 2 accompanying adults. For some activities the number of participants under the care of an instructor  is decreased to ensure the safety of our clients. A school teacher may be considered as an additional pair of eyes, however here at Hillary Outdoors we do not factor in the teacher as a ‘group leader’ when considering our safety ratios, with the occasional exception on long programmes (two weeks or more). Each activity is considered on merit – please rest assured the safety of our clients (and staff) is paramount to our business. However, it is important that you let us know of any participant who presents as a high risk, such as a student with behavioural challenges, so that all variables can be addressed appropriately. We are always happy to discuss ratios for any higher risk activities (or students) which your school requests at the time of booking.

While Hillary Outdoors takes full responsibility for your students’ safety during activity times, we hope that teachers & supporting adults choose to participate in our activities, you do know your students best! Generally we will ask teachers to be ‘silent/cooperative supporters’ as it is important your students look to their Instructor for guidance during practical activities.

Between 5pm and 8.45am (with the exception of overnight expeditions away from the Centre), the school (Teacher in Charge) is responsible for the care of the students – and the same ratio of 1:10 is a good guideline to work to. Our staff support this by running evening activities and additional back up is available in the form of a Duty Manager. Accompanying adults will be provided with a handbook which outlines their responsibilities including what to do in an emergency. We may also ask you or your other staff member(s) to take responsibility for any students who are unable to take part in the programme on a particular day, for example due to sickness.

Our equipment and facilities are of an excellent standard. They are inspected regularly and continually improved. Our systems are regularly checked for compliance and appropriateness.

We are proud to have been awarded AdventureMark status and as a part of this a safety audit is carried out every three years. We also have a rolling schedule of internal and external activity reviews.

All structures and critical equipment have scheduled inspections

All of our vehicles have current Warrants of Fitness (or Certificate of Fitness)

All of our buildings meet required standards and are checked regularly against our maintenance schedule

All gear and equipment used is logged and inspected regularly. We have a full time Resource Officer in charge of our outdoor equipment at Hillary Outdoors Tongariro.

Our kitchens are audited by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority

All safety equipment required for your programme is supplied by Hillary Outdoors unless otherwise discussed. Students are provided with a list of equipment and clothing they need to bring in their Student Information Booklet. In addition to this we have an extensive collection of personal clothing and equipment which we lend to students who do not have their own, or what they bring is inappropriate/inadequate.

At Hillary Outdoors Tongariro, our Youth Development Centre and two of our Chalets are wheelchair accessible. At GBI wheelchair disabilities are catered for in specifically converted, ground floor facilities. Hillary Outdoors has the capacity to provide a range of programmes for people with disabilities. Please discuss any students special needs with us when you make your booking. Frequently we encounter students whose parents have withheld information on the medical/consent form feeling their child will be discriminated against – in fact the opposite is more commonly the case! Please encourage parents to fully share information – together we can do a great job. We have excellent facilities and systems in place to work well with a wide range of students regardless of their issues – dietary, behavioural, self esteem related, etc.
It is the school’s responsibility to ensure the participant medical/consent forms have been fully completed and signed. These must be given to the instructor in charge on arrival. Any participant without a signed form will not be allowed to take part in activities. A large proportion of our incidents are the reoccurrence of pre existing injuries, often undeclared on the medical forms. Please encourage parents to share all pre existing conditions with us, however minor.

All our staff are trained to use our crisis response system and are familiar with plans for high risk sites. Our systems have been developed in association with other agencies including the police.
Please ensure your school has its own emergency procedures in place for your visit, including a 24 hour off site emergency contact number. This should be provided to Hillary Outdoors and the parents of attending students.

Please see the testimonials section of our schools website for letters of reference from several clients.

Audits by NZQA can be viewed online.

As a concession holder with DOC we are held accountable for our actions in the New Zealand wilderness.

If you would like to speak directly to an existing client for a reference, please contact our Sales Coordinator who will arrange this for you