Leave No Trace New Zealand offers training courses to educate land managers, outdoor educators, tourism operators, club and youth group leaders and the wider public. Leave No Trace courses are informative, practical, hands-on and fun. Participants in a Leave No Trace course should have a strong interest in outdoor recreation, a commitment to training others, a desire to protect natural and cultural resources, and be in good physical condition.

Through training, Leave No Trace aims to educate a critical mass of people in minimal impact skills and educational techniques to enable the spread of this important message to the greatest possible numbers of people as effectively as possible.

Three forms of training underpin these efforts.

Master Educator Courses

“The LNT master educator trip was certainly one of the highlights of my working year. I enjoyed getting out in the hills with a group of like minded people and really taking time to focus on our precious wild places and what we can do to quietly minimize our impact as we travel through them.
What impressed me the most was how we all came up with a range of fun and interactive activities that we could take away and use with our own students to get the message of the LNT principles out to a wider audience.”

Hilary Cave, Operations Manager, Horizons Unlimited

Master Educator Courses are typically five days in length and are designed for people who are actively teaching others skills or providing information to the public. This is the highest level of Leave No Trace training available. Participants who have completed a Master Educator course will be able to lead Trainer Courses and Awareness Workshops and provide official Leave No Trace course completion certificates which are recognised internationally.

Trainer Courses

“Despite initial doubts around the course being a simple ‘turnover’ of the Environmental Care Code – I was really surprised and enthusiastic for the quality and quantity of your approach, the teaching resources – as well as the ethics, philosophy and thought that has gone into each Principle. “

Paul Pringle, Outward Bound instructor

Trainer Courses are a shortened version of the Masters Course. Participants receive introductory training in LNT skills and ethics in a condensed two-day format. During two day’s travel and overnight camp, participants teach a class and are involved in discussions to explore the 7 Leave No Trace principles. People who have completed a Trainer Course will be able to lead Awareness Workshops and co-lead Trainer Courses with a Master Educator.

Awareness Courses

Leave No Trace also offers Awareness Courses which range from an hour-long introduction to a one-day course outlining LNT’s programme, principles and ethics. Participants who have completed an Awareness Workshop will have a insight into the skills and knowledge needed to practice good environmental care.

For training opportunities please contact us with any training requests or for details of upcoming courses.