An update on Eye on Nature Wearable Arts

Eye on Nature Wearable Arts has been one of the highlights of our calendar since its humble beginnings in a marquee on the lawn at the Auckland Botanic Gardens. Watching hundreds of tamariki and rangatahi bring their creativity to life on stage has been a privilege and a joy for our whole team.

It is with real sadness that we share the news that Eye on Nature Wearable Arts will not go ahead in 2026.

Why we've made this decision

We want to be transparent with our community about the reasons behind this decision.

While the programme has created powerful creative and environmental learning experiences for hundreds of young people, it has also operated at a significant financial cost and placed considerable demands on our team's capacity each year. In 2025 alone, delivery costs exceeded $100,000, covering venue hire, stage production, staffing, logistics and programme management. We have worked hard over the years to bridge that gap through grants, sponsorship and funding partnerships, and we are deeply grateful to every funder and sponsor who has supported the programme.

But the gap never fully closed, and this year the wider economic environment made that position unworkable. The fuel crisis has driven up costs across every aspect of our operations and supply chain, while the pool of funding available from corporate, government and philanthropic sources has shrunk at exactly the moment demand on it has increased. As a charity, we feel these pressures acutely.

We explored alternatives, including moving to an online format, but the feedback from our school communities was clear: the live show is the heart of what makes Wearable Arts special. The in-person experience, the stage, the audience, the full production; these are what inspire young people to participate and where so much of the learning and personal growth happens. An online version would not deliver the same value or draw the same level of participation, and building it at short notice would not have meaningfully reduced costs or freed up capacity either.

Our gratitude

To the teachers, students, whaanau, supporters, funders, sponsors and partners who have been part of this programme over the years, thank you so much. From that first marquee to the professional production at the Due Drop Events Centre, what this community created together is something we will always be proud of.

Watch: Eye on Nature Wearable Arts Through the Years

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Questions

If you are a teacher and have any questions about this news, or what it means for your school, please get in touch via community@beautification.org.nz. We understand the disappointment many of you will feel, and we ask that any feedback is shared with kindness toward our team. This decision has been difficult for our educators and organisers who care deeply about this programme and the communities it serves.