Hillary Outdoors, formerly the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre of New Zealand, (commonly known as OPC), was founded in 1972 by Sir Graeme Dingle with Sir Edmund Hillary as patron. The vision was to provide opportunities for New Zealanders, in particular youth and those disadvantaged in some way, to learn and grow through exposure to a range of adventurous activities. The original education centre is in Tongariro National Park and the second is on Great Barrier Island. Hillary Outdoors offers programmes to schools as well as provides tertiary education, outdoor skills and holiday courses to a wide group of ages. We cater for year 7 school students upwards; including industry upskilling for instructors, corporates, sports groups and clubs etc. Courses are run over various durations from a couple of days through to long programmes of 5 weeks. Time spent at Hillary Outdoors is often described as "life-changing".