Young Ocean Explorers started in 2013. Initially Father and daughter duo, Steve and Riley Hathaway filmed 20 episodes for the popular kids series ‘What Now’. The aim was to inspire kids about how phenomenal NZ’s underwater world is.
Now they have a popular online platform, www.youngoceanexplorers.com with hours of unique underwater content from around Aotearoa, freely used in many thousands of classrooms.
We’re incredibly grateful to the Bobby Stafford-Bush Foundation for giving us wings to fly. They partnered with us early on in our journey and gave us the ability to significantly increase our reach, they remain invaluable partners to this day.
Their generosity and belief in YOE has enabled us to create our book and DVD ‘Love Our Ocean’ and give a free copy to every school in NZ (over 2500 schools). Create an app that brings to life four Hauraki Gulf posters (450,000 copies of each released). Create extra content for our website, and also allow Steve to have opportunities filming for some of the biggest production companies in the world, through purchasing a cutting edge UW camera.
The Bobby Stafford-Bush Foundation has also enabled us to run teacher workshops to develop our latest project, the: ’21 Day Challenge’. Our 2021 inaugural 21 Day Challenge had over 1100 classes participate!
Our aim is for this to be an annual event on school calendars with 21 Days of learning and action focused around NZ’s unique Moana, leaving a lasting legacy of ‘A thriving ocean for future generations’.
Young Ocean Explorers book shoot at the Whangateau estuary and Mokohinau Islands with Riley and Steve Hathaway. Wednesday 10 September 2014. Photograph Richard Robinson © 2014
Young Ocean Explorers, Second Season, Cook Islands. July 2015. Photograph Richard Robinson © 2015.
