Confident Kiwis© – Skills for Life

Confident Kiwis© is about the big picture: empowering children & young people to respect themselves and others, be safe and a safe up-stander and to change their world with kindness and integrity. It is designed to strengthen school communities, increase positive behaviours and provide strategies for dealing with life. It is about engaging & encouraging communities to develop safe and positive environments. At senior years it is also focussed on work-ready skills (enterprise skills) that incorporate strength based practice to succeed in life and enable a positive contribution to Aotearoa.

Nest’s Confident Kiwis© programme aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum / Te Marautanga o Aotearoa – Health and Physical Education (HPE)  forming a ‘whole school approach’. Confident Kiwis will assist in teaching the key competencies:

  • managing self– this competency is associated with self-motivation, a can-do attitude and students seeing themselves as capable learners
  • relating to others– this competency is about interacting effectively with a diverse range of people in varying contexts
  • participating and contributing– this competency is about being activity involved in communities.

The Confident Kiwis programme has the option of launching with a Whānau Info evening (to explain the programme to family and provide resources for continuation at home) and can be followed with an enthusiastic motivational assembly that inspires the entire student body. During the lessons students learn about important life skills focussing on body autonomy, consent, safety, kindness, empathy, confidence & managing stress. Within this message there is an age appropriate underlying anti-bullying and sexual violence prevention component. Nest’s facilitators provide interactive classes at each year level, ensuring the teachers are provided with professional development, on-going support and activities.

Yr 1 , Yr 2, Yr 3 & Yr 4: Each class has a 30 – 45 min programme (annually, twice yearly or termly).
The Educator commences with story telling & puppetry before running a related reflection activity followed by an interactive discussion.

Yr 5 & Yr 6: Each class has a two thirds of a day programme: Tū Tika©
The Educator provides a mixture of story telling, media, discussion and interactive activity.

If a full primary/intermediate  – Yr 7 & Yr 8: Each class has a two thirds of a day programme: Tū Tika©
The Educator provides a mixture of media, role play, discussion and interactive activity.

High Schools – Yr 9 – Yr 13: Talk with us and together we will create a programme that works for you (suggestions are: within health classes or within form time) The Educator will facilitate classes assisting youth to identify, discover and practice wellbeing and skills to lead into a bright future: Teen Talks© and Healthy Relationships programmes.

Yr 1-4


* Body autonomy & consent
* Safe boundaries 
* Kindness & Friendship
* Respecting yourself and others
* Who and how to ask for help (Circle of safety)
* Feeling empowered & confident

Informative Whanau Information evening and teacher PD included
Yr 5-6


* Confidence
* Handling stress
* What is bullying / Is it bullying? - Forms of bullying - Peer pressure
* Friendship & positive relationships
* Consent & Body Autonomy
* Harmful effects of bullying - hurt on the outside/hurt on the inside
* Recognising appropriate and inappropriate behaviours
* Recognising and understanding feelings and feelings of others / empathy
* Positive social skills / sense of community: kindness & compliments
* Manaaki - you are not alone / supports
* How to respond to bullying / Be a safe Up-stander 
* Online influences / Social Media manners / Cyber safety
* Body Image Self Esteem and Assertive communication skills

Yr 7-8

* Confidence
* Tools for handling stress and reducing anxiety
* Recognise and understanding feelings and feelings of others / empathy 
* Positive social skills / sense of community: kindness & compliments 
* Manaaki - you are not alone / supports 
* Media Manners & Cyber safety
* Body image & Diversity
* Consent & Healthy Relationships
* Understanding the teenage brain, tips to manage emotions
* Resources in your community
Yr 9 - Yr 13


* Confidence
* Handling stress
* Friendship & positive relationships
* Recognising appropriate and inappropriate behaviours
* Healthy vs unhealthy relationships
* Consent
* Empathy - understanding feelings and feelings of others
* Celebrating diversity
* Understanding equality, equity & intersectionality
* Positive social skills / Sense of community
* Manaaki - you are not alone / supports
* Standing up for one another - By-stander vs Upstander
* Kindness
* Prevention of bullying - School & Home as a safe place / Bully-Free zone (whole school approach)
* Strengthening identity & sense of belonging
* Social connectedness
* Community engagement
* Work ready skills
* Volunteering
* CV planning

In addition: 
Nest will leave behind follow on activities, initiatives & resources (everything from student mentoring ideas, friendship seats, games to play, pass it forward kindness events, books to read, work sheets to explore, posters to remind, topics for reviews & so much more).
Nest will assist in reviewing/updating any related school policies.
Nest will introduce you & link you with other agencies, such as:
– Mindfulness school programmes
– Yoga for schools
– Emotional Intelligence school programmes
– Cyber awareness programmes
– Body Image educators
– Media Manners educators
– Pink Shirt Day
– Volunteer opportunities
– Work experience programme
– Duke of Edinburgh Award
– Further study, Modern apprenticeship & Careers Exhibitions

Costs, Terms & Conditions

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi