The Young and Healthy Virtual Adventure is evolving.....
....and we couldn’t be more excited!
After eight incredible years and 180,000+ tamariki, we’re building on everything teachers, tamariki and whanau already love about the program, with an even stronger focus on helping children Power Up every day through simple, sustainable habits that support energy, learning and wellbeing, for life.
The same great experience, with a powered up purpose!
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Why do we need this?
Our children are moving less, and it’s impacting how they feel and learn.
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Movement is no longer built into daily life,
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Screen time is increasing,
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Real-world connection is decreasing.
Many children are not reaching the minimum daily movement needed for baseline physical and mental wellbeing.*
The Impact
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Lower energy,
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Reduced focus,
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Difficulty learning and retaining knowledge,
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Increased anxiety and disconnection.
"Thank you so much to you and your organization for such a wonderful programme. We noticed the change not only in the tamariki but the whanau as well.
What an amazing programme which every child and school in New Zealand needs. My kids are in absolute love with this."
- Teacher, Auckland Primary School
Active bodies support active minds
The 2025 Sport New Zealand report Active Bodies, Active Minds* shows that physically active tamariki and rangatahi:
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engage more in learning,
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stay in school longer,
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achieve at higher levels,
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experience greater mental wellbeing.
Movement is not just physical, it directly supports learning and life outcomes.
*sportnz.org.nz/get-active/children-and-young-people/
Introducing the Power Up 'Movement"
Power Up strengthens the wellbeing work schools are already doing by giving children a simple, memorable framework to understand their energy and take small daily actions that support their brain and body.
This is not another wellbeing program, it's a framework children (and their families) can use anytime, anywhere.
Check in - Choose - Power Up
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Check In – How am I feeling?
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Choose – What do I need right now?
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Power Up – Take a simple action (move, hydrate, rest, breathe, sleep, eat)
Small actions, repeated daily, build lifelong habits.
The Power Up Purpose
Helping the next generation build the daily habits that power up their amazing brain and body, for life.
The Power Up Virtual Adventure is the experience teachers and schools know and love, and the starting point of the Power Up Movement.
It introduces children to the framework and helps them to build habits they can carry beyond the event.
The Power Up Virtual Adventure;
Engaging, evidence-based, and built for impact
Power Up gives children a simple language for wellbeing that strengthens the great work schools are already doing and helps extend it into homes and families.
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It aligns with existing wellbeing initiatives and concepts, like Healthy Active Learning, Te Whare Tapa Wha, Mitey etc,
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It's easy for teachers to integrate into curriculum topics if desired,
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It supports home–school connection.
The Power Up Virtual Adventure combines fun and learning to help children build healthy habits in a way that is engaging, memorable and easy to continue beyond the programme.
Using a little bit of technology (so we can reach tamariki wherever in Aotearoa they are), classes join the Virtual Adventure and students create their own unique avatars. Taking real-world actions like moving, hydrating, taking a break in nature and doing Take-5 Power Up activities, they move their class team around the global course with their classmates, “visiting” destinations such as Peru, China and Japan. As they progress, they unlock short videos featuring their avatars exploring each location and interacting with inspiring ambassadors; Ardie Savea, Ameliaranne Ekenasio and Kane Williamson who help motivate children through connection, role modelling and fun.
Through our parents app, children can continue these actions at home with their whānau, extending the impact beyond the classroom and into everyday life.
Backed by research and real world results
The programme was originally developed for workplaces, with tens of thousands of adults across large corporates, like Bupa, Medibank, Optus, Qantas and Vodafone in Australia and NZ participating for over a decade. It was noticed by the NSW Ministry of Health who asked us to create a version for school children. It was independently evaluated by the University of Sydney.
The evaluation found that:
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Students increased their levels of physical activity during the programme
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Children reported feeling fitter, healthier and more active
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Physical activity was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the experience.
The long-term importance of this is clear.
"I noticed improvements in students' mental health, including reduced stress, better focus, and a more positive mood.
Regular activity during the Young and Healthy Virtual Adventure seemed to enhance their overall well-being and resilience."
- Teacher, Auckland Intermediate School
Higher levels of physical activity in childhood are associated with reduced risk of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, as well as improved life expectancy.
There is also growing evidence linking physical fitness to mental wellbeing. A large-scale study of 1.9 million children found that higher fitness levels were associated with lower rates of anxiety, depression and ADHD.*
*Chiang H, Chuang Y, Chen Y, et al. Physical Fitness and Risk of Mental Disorders in Children and Adolescents. JAMA Pediatr. 2024;178(6):595–607. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.0806
Building habits that last
To progress through the Virtual Adventure, children take real-world actions that support their wellbeing, including:
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moving regularly
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drinking water to stay hydrated
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reducing screen time and choosing active play
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taking moments to rest, breathe and reset
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making healthy food choices where possible
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getting enough sleep
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spending time in nature and more....
These small, consistent actions align with the Check In → Choose → Power Up framework, helping children understand how they feel so they can take simple steps to improve their energy, focus and wellbeing.
From experience to everyday life
The Virtual Adventure is more than an engaging classroom experience.
It is the starting point of the Power Up Movement, helping children take what they learn during the programme and turn it into simple daily habits they can use at school, at home, and throughout their lives.
By combining evidence-based design, inspiring role models, and a simple, repeatable framework, Power Up helps strengthen the great work already happening in schools, while extending it into families and communities.
Proven impact across Aotearoa
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180,000+ tamariki engaged
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500+ schools
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Strong teacher and whānau engagement
Tamariki driving positive change for their whanau
"Me and my family continue to do lots of little challenges together at home. We try and see who makes the healthier lunch, who drinks the most water and who does the most activity in a day. It is really funny because my mum and dad are so competitive between them. I love it when we play more games together to increase our steps."
- Student, Hamilton
Entry in the Power Up Virtual Adventure is FREE for schools in Aotearoa.*
2026 Event Dates: Term 3: Tues 11 Aug - Fri 11 Sept
By participating in the Power Up Virtual Adventure, not only will you experience the positive benefits teachers tell us the event has on their students and class environment but you could win ASICS sport shoes for the whole class (several class lots to be won).
+places are currently limited to 20,000 students
Our Virtual Coaches
We are so grateful to have our inspiring ASICS Ambassadors Ardie Savea, Kane Williamson and Ameliaranne Ekenasio as our virtual coaches, "leading" classes through the Power Up Virtual Adventure. They provide support and encouragement and whenever possible we visit participating schools so tamariki can meet our sporting superstars in person.
Follow us and never miss a thing!
The Power Up Virtual Adventure uses a unique digital platform to engage tamariki in a fun way, inspiring and encouraging them to move regularly in ways they enjoy and make other healthy choices in the real world!