Aotearoa New Zealand has seen more than 40 years of education for the environment. Globally, education for sustainability (EfS) is viewed as imperative, and education is orientating towards sustainability. In 2003, Bolstad argued that within the Aotearoa New Zealand context environmental education had yet to become accepted as a part of teaching and learning, and lacked integration within the school curriculum. However, a shift is now evident.

EfS can be identified as a framework that does all the following: