Our manifesto

We believe that our environment is vital to our future wellbeing, our tūrangawaewae – where we live, learn, work and play. It is our home, our identity and very much the foundation of our culture and traditions. Embracing modern and traditional methods from tangata whenua, we connect to be a part of, not apart from the environment.

We also believe that the world is changing fast, and we need to empower our future generations to prosper in an uncertain future, and to care for our place, Papatūānuku.

The global needs for clean water, good food, cheap energy, flourishing flora and fauna, warm and dry housing, affordable healthcare and accessible learning are growing exponentially.

There is an opportunity here for us all, for New Zealand to be the centre of, no the gravity well of, excellence for enviro-tech. For our people to become the innovators that change the world, for real.

Technology is just a tool. It can do some clever things, but it is as clever as the people designing it are. Technology has more purpose when the people implementing it have a purpose.

We exist to connect people with the environment to teach them new skills to care for and innovate in it, using technology.

The Institute of Awesome was founded by Vaughan Fergusson and Zoe Timbrell in 2019 as part of their trust, the Pam Fergusson Trust, to be a venue for the many educational programmes.

In 2024 the Pam Fergusson Trust shut down, and the operation of InAwe and has passed back to its founders for the next stage of its evolution in supporting our manifesto to empower our future generations to prosper in an uncertain future, and to care for our place, Papatūānuku.

The centre was established in 1974 as an outdoor education camp. 45 years later it is being “re-booted” as an outdoor enviro-tech education camp. We will be hosting schools and community groups again, who want to learn how to use technology to care for the environment.

The programmes

We do this with 2 main activities at the centre:

1. We host camps and communities.
   These are where people come to learn and explore and innovate. It’s as you would imagine a school camp would be. A the lodge in the bush, with everyone living together, sharing food together, learning together and building life-long experiences together in the outdoors.

2. We provide leadership development to businesses.
   Using our unique venue we invite industry to come and develop their future leaders in a new way, by helping build and design projects, facilities and content that kids and educators will use at the centre. By doing this they also sponsor schools to come.
   We can tailor exclusive residencies to suit corporates.

Community projects

Visitors to the centre can work on a community project. Through consultation we work with local communities to find out what their needs, challenges and opportunities are, then we develop projects that solve that need or can take advantage of an opportunity to benefit that community.

We consider how technology can be used in the project, and we involve local industry in designing the potential solutions. We then develop, with industry and educators, these projects so groups visiting the centre can pick them up and continue running with them over time.

Over time, depending on the scale of the project, many groups may be involved in undertaking the project, each contributing a part. They may build something in the workshop, perform some research, programme software, install sensors in the environment. Whatever the project needs.

Once the project is complete, it is gifted back to the community in an engaging and informative way. The project will then live on in the community, continuing to foster curiosity and learning.

Support we need

We need support to make the Institute of Awesome succeed. There are a number of ways support can be provided.

Sponsorship
We are looking for sponsorship partners to help fund some of the new facilities as well as cover the day to day operational costs of the centre. We can structure sponsorship packages to suit. Contact Vaughan or Zoe for information on how to become a sponsor of the Institute of Awesome.

Attend a camp/retreat
By picking the Institute of Awesome as your place of choice, you help support us with the restoration of Maunga Karioi. To find out how, click here.

Our programmes