Nature Connection

Robz joins us in the studio for our last chat - for a while - as we talk about his future plans and have a conversation about connection in a disconnected world.

We catch up with Robz a few months into his approach of giving his services away for free and reflect on what it has changed for him and the not surprising fact that people want to take advantage of the approach.Robz helps Aaron reflect on how playfulness is never a part of politics and how the effect of the local body election on Aaron is the opposite of Nature Connection.

Robz has just got back from a location somewhere on Mt Pirongia where he spent 24 days with minimal equipment 500 meters above sea level in July! We learn about how he survived and the effect the experience had on him.

We check in with Robz about his free workshops and how they're going and then hear about his plans to spend an entire month in the bush ahead of his 40th birthday

We check in with Robz about his free workshops and how they're going and then hear about his plans to spend an entire month in the bush ahead of his 40th birthday.

How to do business without doing business. Robz is embarking on a new approach to Nature Mentoring where he offers his services for free. We talk about the decision and how it aligns with the values of the natural world.

It's always been an assumed message in our conversations with Robz but this is the first time he's explicitly wanted to make the connection between good mental health and connection with Nature.

Robz recomends the benefits of nature connection for everyone suffering the ailments of modern civilisation. - but what are they, and what exactly has he experience in his connection journey that we're missing.

It seems like a contradiction but in this discussion we're talking to Robz about how putting himself in danger in the bush can lead to a mind state that, similar to meditation is very healthy for us.

Don't get stuck in the comfort of your house says Robz in our latest Nature Connection chat

Robz tells us about sit-spots and why you might want to find a spot just for you. He also brings us uptodate on the gruelling work to update the Kura Taiao website

Robz joins us in the studio to talk about the ways that going into the bush with lots of gear "protects" us from making deeper connections with the natural world

After a stormy night spent in the bush Robz reports back on the experience and we try to define what the connection part of Nature Connection means

After 4 days in the bush alone we talk about what it takes to run a Nature School like Kura Taiao and why "nature connection" includes the social setting and not just practical low tech skills

Robz has just come back from a weekend stay on Pirongia with four 13-year old boys where the boys were given the chance to lead the way.

Robz brings us some unconventional techniques that will keep us feeling connected and grounded

Wet and cold with no chance of lighting a fire is a potentially life threatening set of circumstances when you're in the bush overnight in winter. How does Robz not only survive this challenge but also find deep enjoyment the experience?

We go deep with Robz into the things that make his nature school so different to most other learning spaces and zero in on the priorities and values that have led to this difference.

Robz brings Aaron some Karaka nuts to eat and talks about his experience eating them unprocessed. We also look at what can be learned from Mosquitos

Robz joins us to talk about his classes for 2024 and we have a look at the new mentor role he's created for Kura Taiao

Nature leaves plenty of signs about which direction you're walking in but a hilly landscape can make it tricky

Robz from Kura Taiao talking about the challanges of doing nature connection inside educational institutions

What happens if we stop naming things and how does it help with nature connection

Robz wants to talk about Elders but inevitably we get sidetracked by issue of modern life and what our experiences with modern technology might really be teaching us.

Robz heads to the Nelson Lakes area for the challenge of surviving over night with only the clothes on his back.

It's not about survivalism, it's about becoming so at home in the bush that you're never in danger. We also quiz Robz on how his kid's programs work since they are very different to conventional after school activities

We talk to Robz about his nature connection journey and where his Kura Taiao organisation is going for the future

Slow learning and how to knit the nature connection approach into the modern, fast-paced, online world

Comparing Nature Connection concepts with ideas about left brain dominance in modern society

Robz joins us to talk about the things we can learn from the natural world if we stop long enough to take in what's happening around us.

Robz joins us to talk about how his nature connection workshops contrasts with a culture that wants to see measurable outcomes

Robz triggers Aaron by describing the grey day outside as a beautiful day

Robz subverts the interview by asking Aaron the first question and we look at how he's planning to do things differently when speaking a conference later on this year

It's not a checklist or a ten-point plan but Robz and Aaron attempt to give you the basics of what Nature Connection is all about

Robz is in-studio on a cold morning to talk about primitive fire lighting and what the experience teaches us

It's Raglan Music Month so we flip the show on it's head and learn a bit about Robz' music while Aaron tries desperately to make it link up to his Nature Connection work

Robz is in studio to talk about his favourite places but also how connecting nature can be done without having to find the perfect pristine location

We find out if Robz can actually get lost in the bush and how he would use Natural Navigation techniques to get un-lost. We also have a look at the surprisingly short list of essential items he brings when he goes bush

Robz talks about how he stimulated an interest in earth house building in his classes. Classes where the young people get to decide for themselves what they do