The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award

Challenge yourself.
Your way.

Discover new passions and create a journey that’s uniquely yours. Three levels, two pathways, and activities you choose, with Auckland Challenge guiding you all the way.

Bronze
Silver
Gold

Talk to us first

About us

What we do

Auckland Challenge is Aotearoa’s oldest and most experienced Open Award Centre. We coordinate the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award for the greater Auckland region, on behalf of several schools and for young people who have left school, home schoolers, and those at schools where the Award isn’t run.

Our role is to:

Guide you through the Award
Help you find activities
Approve and verify your activities
Mentor you along the way
Sign off your Award

Don’t have an Award Unit?

Auckland Challenge is an Open Award Centre, which means anyone can sign up to do their Award through us.

If your school doesn’t run the Award, you can’t do it through your school, or your existing Award Unit isn’t working out for you, sign up with us.

Leaving school?

Still have work left on your Award? You don’t have to stop. You can transfer to Auckland Challenge to continue once you leave, and there’s no charge for this service.

To transfer, email the National Office and ask for your Award to be moved to us. An annual management fee applies.

Pathway

Choose your pathway

Want to extend your Award with something different? The Award offers two pathways to build your Award around, to make it uniquely yours.

Traditional

Great for anyone wanting to follow the classic Award pathway, build their challenge and gain their Award.

He Aratūtahi

Embracing the holistic concept of whanaungatanga. Focus your Service, Skill and Journeys around te ao Māori concepts.

Level

Choose your level

Pick the challenge that suits you. With three levels to complete, there’s something for everyone. Aim for about an hour a week in each section.

From the year you turn 14

Bronze

At least 6 months. Skill, Physical and Service for 3 months each (13 hours a section), plus an extra 3 months in the section you choose as your Major (26 hours in total).

Plus an Adventurous Journey with a one-night qualifying journey. We recommend everyone starts at Bronze to get a feel for the Award.

Ages 15+

Silver

At least 6 months, or 12 months if you start at Silver. 26 hours in each section if you’ve done Bronze. Starting at Silver without Bronze? You do an extra 6 months in one section.

Plus an Adventurous Journey with a two-night qualifying journey.

Ages 16+

Gold

At least 12 months, or 18 months if you start at Gold. 12 months in each section if you’ve done Silver. Starting at Gold without Silver? You do an extra 6 months in one section.

Plus a three-night qualifying journey and the Residential Project.

You can start a section at the next level up once you’ve finished and had it signed off at your current level, and you’re old enough. Talk to us to find out how.

Activities

Choose your activities

The Award is your Award. For each section, pick activities that will challenge you and help you grow.

Voluntary Service

Anything you do to help others that meets a genuine need: environmental service, youth work and charity service are a few examples. Anything unpaid you do to help people outside your family will probably count.

Skill

Any hobby or mental activity that isn’t athletic: games, music, arts and building are just some of the many options. Use something you already do or take up something new.

Physical Recreation

Any activity for your physical wellbeing, such as individual or team sports. Ball sports, athletics, martial arts and water sports are just a few. As a general rule, if it raises your heart rate, it counts.

Your activities, your way. For each of Skill, Voluntary Service and Physical Recreation you can do more than one activity, so there’s plenty of flexibility for seasonal activities. You can count up to four hours of activity per section towards your Award progress each month.

Plus

Adventurous Journey

Complete training, at least one overnight practice journey, then a qualifying journey: one night at Bronze, two at Silver and three at Gold. Biking, kayaking, horse riding, urban or bush are just some of the options.

About Adventurous Journeys

Plus, at Gold

Residential Project

A five-day, four-night trip with a purpose, away from home with people you don’t know. It could be an environmental, service or educational trip.

Get started

Begin your journey

Ready to take up your Award challenge? Get started in three steps. We’ll support you the whole way.

Sign up

Start by enrolling in the Award with Auckland Challenge as your Award Unit.

Make contact

Set up a meeting with one of our experienced Award Leaders to get you started.

Make a meeting

Log and achieve

Log all the activity hours you do, and join the thousands of young people taking part in their Award.

Still not sure? That’s OK. If you want to talk about your options and how the Award could benefit you, get in touch.

Email us

Set up a meeting

Call us

Contact

Contact us

We are here to help! With dedicated Award Leaders available whenever you need, you can get the answers you need in a way that suits you.

Adventurous Journeys

For information about the Journey section, please email us.

You can also join one of our partners’ journey options, or see our Adventurous Journeys page.

Award Support

For general Award enquiries please email dofe@aucklandchallenge.org.nz.

You can also give Kathryn, our coordinator, a call on 027 491 6618.