Programs | SPRING PROGRAMS | Fall PROGRAMS | NEW ZEALAND

The Program

With an array of diverse ecosystems, an incredible number of endemic species and a captivating human history, New Zealand provides an excellent setting for our ecological field study. The program will take us to some of the most extreme, isolated, and ecologically unique landscapes on the planet, while also connecting us with Māori and local groups.

Our field course will begin with the exploration of New Zealand’s volcanic and culturally rich North Island. Here, amongst colorful parrots and old growth forests, we will hone our species identification skills and examine concepts in island ecology. As we travel south through the volcanically active center of the North Island, we will investigate the complex geology and human history of the region, while further developing our naturalist skills.

We will spend time in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, before crossing the Cook Strait to the South Island. While on the South Island we will hike through the mountains of the Kahurangi, travel the rugged west coast, and explore the alpine valleys of the majestic Southern Alps. Through visiting national parks, cultural sites, and homesteads, we will dive into concepts of traditional land management, disturbance ecology, and restoration ecology. Next we will visit New Zealand’s tallest peak, Mt. Cook, where we will examine alpine and subalpine ecology. Towards the end of the class we expect to work and hike among the lush Fiordlands of Southwest New Zealand. Here, we will design and complete an independent study of the region’s flora and fauna. Finally, we will end the class in breathtaking Queenstown.

Throughout our field study, team members will take part in key conservation and restoration projects while also designing an independent ecological study. Together we will closely investigate natural resource management policies, and with the hope to work directly with local organizations on issues concerning animal reintroduction and invasive species management. By the close of the program, each of us will have gained an intimate understanding of New Zealand's fascinating ecology and cultural history, its historical and current environmental challenges, and restoration and conservation efforts being taken to address them.

Stories From the Field

Kuba Naum

New Zealand 2023 Alumni

“Truly a program like no other. The places I got to see and the epic hikes I got to go on were some of the most amazing experiences of my life. And by the end of the program, we were all so close it was hard to say goodbye.”

WATCH Kuba’s Video

Program Photo Gallery

Isaac Newell

Lead instructor-Spring 2024 program

MS in Land Resources and Environmental Science, Montana State University, 2021

Isaac is an ecologist with an emphasis on botany and succession across plant communities and taxonomy. His research focuses on grassland resilience in response to various disturbance types, with emphasis on non-native plant establishment post-disturbance. His love of plants has led him to teach ecology programs in Oregon, Montana, and Grand Teton National Park. He is an alumnus of the Wildlands Studies Tasmania Program and worked as a Teaching Assistant on our Hawaii programs in 2021 and 2022. Isaac leads our New Zealand Program.

Kayla Keyes

Lead instructor-fall 2024 and spring 2025 programs

MA in Biology, Miami University of Oxford, 2019

Kayla is a marine biologist and ocean advocate based in the North Island of New Zealand. She specializes the human connection with marine and coastal ecosystems to design community-based conservation initiatives. Kayla has worked as an environmental educator in a variety of global marine hotspots including Florida, Australia, and New Zealand. She currently works in New Zealand as a marine researcher and the Education Director for the Tangaroa Research Institute of Oceanographic Studies as well as with Māori groups to understand local culture & customs in connection with te moana (the ocean). Kayla leads our New Zealand program.