NaturePlay NZ was founded in 2008 by Anna Gentry and Dean Aplin. Their collective skills and experience is as experiential educators / teachers/ lecturers, team development trainers (youth and corporate), in formal education and outdoor and environmental education settings.
Parents to 3 young children, they live an inspiring life close to and in harmony with nature. They endeavor to raise eco-literate children who live fulfilling, joyful, and peaceful lives.
They bring lifetimes of knowledge to educators working with children and nature.
Read more about their personal journeys below.

There hasn’t been a time in Anna's life when she has not had nature beside her. Her life time includes a great passion for creativity and design, the earth and plants, horses and people.
All her working life has involved educating young people through nature and/ or adventures in nature. A trained and experienced teacher, lecturer and mother she takes on her role with a huge sense of responsibility for the wellbeing of our children and earth.
When not educating or been a mum she enjoys playing with her herd of horses naturally and working with sacred maori plant medicine to restore balance and harmony to people and the planet.

Deep Down :  To be young at heart
Lifes pattern : Spontaneity … sometime her mouth speaks before her mind catches up!
                     Where there is nature there is Anna
Theme in Life: Educating

Dean has had a full life including lead management roles in telecommunications before moving into education initially through outdoor education. Deans expertise are in developing human potential particularly in a team environment. He has developed unique leadership training and team development programmes with corporate and senior secondary students utilizing the natural world as the teacher.
As a tertiary lecturer in outdoor education he is most interested in training the trainer to access the natural world with people of all ages. Teaching skills in outdoor safety management ( risk management) is a strength.
With over 10 years traveling to interesting places most people leave alone, he is simply
a practical guy who has built  his own home from natural materials, and enjoys making, creating, and solving problems with natural timbers and his own hands.

Deep Down : He wants to be Peter Pan.
Lifes pattern : Sometimes late and thinks he knows the worlds best short cuts which can take twice as long. This is his excuse for taking 1½ years to drive from England to South Africa.
Theme in Life: Adventure

NaturePlay NZ Team – who else you may meet on a journey with us:


Jo assists in the design process of Nature PlayScapes. An accomplished landscape designer and artist her drawing/draughting skills are awesome! Jo is a mum to 2 preschool children. When not designing and been mum she is busy landscaping playscapes in her own back yard.

- Three peas in a pod. Three bundles of inspiration.
Gaia reminds us daily she is mother earth. She is our budding herbalist and will make many concoctions from all things in nature. Gaia favorite aspect of nature is the Rainbow and season is summer. She is most at home in the raspberry and strawberry patch.

Mataariki is our star child. Named after the great star system in Maori culture he reminds us of the compassion and wisdom one must have in daily life. A real doer he helps dad make everything. Mataariki's favourite season is spring because he loves new baby animals. He is most at home in the chicken house finding and counting in the new eggs.

Shanti is a dolphin, and reminds us of the water element. The balancer and peacekeeper she is our number one forager and gathers taonga willingly and in abundance (especially neptunes necklace). Her favourite season is winter because it rains a lot and there a many many puddles to swim in. She is most at home in the edible flowers and herbs talking with the fairies!