Life Education Trust

What Life Education Trust does

Life Education Trust is a New Zealand-registered charitable trust (CC10320) founded in 1988 in Christchurch and headquartered in Wellington, operating as the country's largest dedicated health and wellbeing education provider for children and young people. The trust delivers curriculum-aligned programmes primarily through a fleet of 44 mobile classrooms staffed by specialist registered teachers, organised across 32 regional community trusts that maintain local governance and fundraising. Its core product, the Healthy Harold programme, covers five strands — food and nutrition, human biology, relationships and communities, identity and resilience, and substances — and is used by 86% of New Zealand schools. Supplementary programmes include SMASHED (alcohol awareness theatre-in-education for Year 9-10), SMART$ (financial literacy theatre-in-education for Year 9-11), Behind the Scenes (vaping and social media), Two Raw Sisters and a Giraffe (nutrition), and Teacher Professional Development workshops.

Underlying delivery infrastructure comprises mobile classroom units equipped with sight and sound equipment and digital interactive tools, supplemented by online learning modules hosted on the Stacks financial literacy platform and dedicated websites (healthyharold.org.nz, workshops.lifeeducation.org.nz). Programmes are evaluated by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) and are built around the Harold the Giraffe mascot, a registered trade mark recognised nationally across multiple generations.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than transactional: schools are charged only a small portion of programme cost (or receive programmes at no charge, as with SMASHED and SMART$), and the trust receives no government funding. Revenue is assembled from individual donations (including Givealittle and workplace giving), corporate sponsorships (Mainfreight since 2007, Baker Tilly Staples Rodway, Apparelmaster), programme-underwriting charitable trusts (The Tomorrow Project for SMASHED, PMG Charitable Trust for SMART$, Herbalife Nutrition Foundation), and grant funders (Lottery Grants Board, The Lion Foundation, Pub Charity, Four Winds Foundation, Woolf Fisher Trust). Operational scale is supported by 300+ volunteer trustees and a staff headcount of 101-250. Jo Malcolm-Black was appointed CEO in May 2025, succeeding Mark Weatherall.

Name

Life Education Trust

Legal name

Life Education Trust

Website

https://lifeeducation.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Life Education Trust is a New Zealand charitable trust delivering health, wellbeing, financial literacy, and substance-awareness education to children through 32 regional community trusts and 44 mobile classrooms, reaching 86% of NZ schools with the Healthy Harold programme and related offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Physical Education & Health Instruction (EDAJAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying) (EDAJAIAG), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), Health & Wellbeing Curriculum (EDAGAAAF)

Keywords

• Health education programmes
• School-based learning
• Mobile classroom delivery
• Financial literacy education
• Wellbeing curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Life Education relies heavily on donations from individuals, community organisations, and businesses. Fundraising activities include annual Wear Yellow for Harold campaigns, charity events, and direct donations via Givealittle platform and bank transfers.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Support from businesses including Mainfreight, Apparelmaster, Baker Tilly Staples Rodway, PMG Charitable Trust, and others. Sponsors provide funding, in-kind services (transportation of mobile classrooms), and venue support.
3. Grants: Funding from charitable trusts including Lottery Grants Board, Pub Charity, The Lion Foundation, Four Winds Foundation, and regional community trusts. Additional support from government community grants schemes.
4. Minimal School Contributions: Schools are charged only a small portion of the cost to run programmes, ensuring accessibility. The difference is met by trustees' successful grant applications, fundraising and donations. Many programmes are provided at no charge to schools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Life Education Trust delivers health, wellbeing, and life-skills education programmes to schools across New Zealand via a fleet of mobile classrooms and in-school theatre-in-education performances. Its core offerings include the Healthy Harold health curriculum for primary students, SMASHED alcohol-awareness theatre for secondary students, SMART$ financial literacy theatre and online modules, and Behind the Scenes on vaping and social media. Specialist registered teachers deliver programmes directly to schools, supported by take-home resources, online learning platforms, and teacher professional development workshops.

Product overview

Life Education Trust offers a portfolio of theatre-in-education and digital learning programmes delivered primarily through mobile classrooms that visit schools nationwide. The core product is the Healthy Harold Programme, a comprehensive health education offering covering five subject strands. Secondary programmes include SMASHED (alcohol awareness for secondary schools), SMART$ (financial literacy for Year 9-11 students), and Behind the Scenes (vaping and social media). Supporting digital products include SMART$ Online learning modules on the Stacks platform, the Healthy Harold kids website, and Teacher Professional Development workshops. The organisation operates as a network of 32+ community trusts across New Zealand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Healthy Harold: The main health education programme featuring the organization's giraffe mascot, covering food and nutrition, human biology, relationships and communities, identity and resilience, and substances.
• SMART$
• SMASHED
• Behind the Scenes

Products and services

• Healthy Harold Programme A comprehensive health education programme delivered via mobile classrooms by specialist registered teachers, covering five strands: food and nutrition, human biology, relationships and communities, identity and resilience, and substances. Designed for primary and intermediate school students (Year 1-8).
• SMASHED A live theatre-in-education programme for Year 9-10 secondary school students that combines a 30-minute performance with a 30-minute interactive workshop to address underage drinking, peer pressure resistance, and informed decision-making. Provided at no charge to schools.
• SMART$ A Theatre-in-Education programme for Year 9-11 students exploring everyday financial decisions including budgeting, banking, savings, debt, insurance, KiwiSaver, and deferred payment schemes. Provided free to schools.
• SMART$ Online Free online learning modules with seven topics (Budgeting, Banking, Deferred Payment Schemes, Savings, Debt, Insurance, KiwiSaver), each featuring a 2.5-minute video followed by quiz questions. Available on the Stacks financial literacy platform and usable standalone or alongside the SMART$ theatre programme.
• Behind the Scenes A theatre-in-education programme addressing vaping and social media influences on young people.
• Teacher Professional Development (Nurturing Healthy Minds) Online 90-minute interactive professional development workshops for teachers and learning support staff covering topics such as Anxiety, Neurodiversity, and Self-care for Educators (Nurturing Healthy Minds series).
• Two Raw Sisters and a Giraffe A nutrition education programme that inspires tamariki to create healthy and delicious meals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 86% of New Zealand schools use the Healthy Harold programme (Ministry of Education research)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Save the Children New ZealandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAspects of Save the Children New Zealand's child rights education programme have been integrated into Life Education Trust resources. The organisation also provides financial support for Life Education's Far North Trust.
• Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined forces with Life Education Trust to tackle youth vaping. New initiatives to educate students, teachers and whānau about the risks of vaping will be reviewed by the Foundation's respiratory health team. Don't Get Sucked In vaping education website is referenced as a resource for schools.
• Anxiety New ZealandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit providing transformative support to tamariki, rangatahi, pakeke and whānau experiencing mental health challenges. Life Education works with Anxiety NZ to ensure programmes follow best practice and offer greater support to children and teachers.
• Sexual Wellbeing AotearoasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Zealand's largest provider of sexual and reproductive health services. Life Education works with Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa to support schools to educate rangatahi about sexuality and relationships.
• NetsafesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Zealand's independent, non-profit online safety charity. Works with Life Education to provide practical tools, support and advice for managing online challenges as part of digital citizenship and wellbeing education.
• Barnardos New ZealandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren's charity working across social services, early learning services and advocacy for children's rights. Partnership focuses on supporting mental wellbeing of tamariki, including raising awareness of 0800 WhatsUp free counselling helpline through school programmes.
• Idea ServicessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports people with intellectual disabilities to enjoy great lives as part of communities. Together with Life Education developed My Best Life programme to empower adults with intellectual disabilities with knowledge and skills for wellbeing.
• Feel BravesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership brings Feel Brave books, strategies and resources into Life Education's mobile classrooms. Features award-winning UK-based NZ author Avril McDonald's expertise in delivering self-regulation strategies and emotional intelligence through characters and stories.
• Stacks Financial Literacy PlatformcoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform hosting SMART$ Online learning modules. Life Education's free online financial literacy resources for rangatahi are available through Stacks, which can be used stand-alone or alongside Life Education's theatre programmes.
• Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement CommissionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped Financial Education Implementation Guides for schools in collaboration with Ministry of Education and financial education providers. Life Education Trust Chief Executive was part of the review committee. Guides help align programmes to new curriculum.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Life Education Australia: Australian sister organisation operating the same mobile-classroom health education model featuring Harold the Giraffe. Closest functional peer, sharing programme DNA, mascot, and delivery approach but operating across Australia rather than New Zealand.
• Coram Life Education: UK-based charity operating the Life Education mobile classroom model for children's health and wellbeing education. Closest international peer by model and method, although now under the Coram children's charity umbrella.

Regional players

• NZ Drug Foundation: New Zealand organisation focused on drug and alcohol harm reduction, including school-based education. Comparable in addressing youth substance-use education via curriculum-aligned programmes and as a potential content partner or competitor to SMASHED.
• Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand: NZ charity delivering mental health promotion, resources, and school-based wellbeing programmes. Overlapping remit with LET's Teacher PD workshops and identity/resilience curriculum strands.
• Graeme Dingle Foundation: New Zealand youth development charity running school-based programmes on resilience, life skills, and mentoring. Comparable as a NZ charity delivering in-school youth programmes with regional partner networks and similar funding model.
• Plunket Society: New Zealand's largest provider of child health and wellbeing services for under-5s and their whānau. Comparable as a nationally federated NZ charity addressing children's wellbeing with regional trust-style structure.
• Youthtown: New Zealand charity providing youth development programmes in schools and communities. Comparable as a NZ-based, school-delivered youth programme operator relying on community trust and fundraising structures.

Others

• Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand: Government health agency providing public health education, including school-based programmes. Comparable as a large-scale provider of health education in NZ, but as a government entity rather than a charity peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/whangareilifeeducationtrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/lifeedwellingtoncity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Life Education Trust