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2026 Tauranga Innovative Education Summit

The Tauranga Innovative Education Summit returns on 12 June 2026, bringing world-class professional learning to the Bay of Plenty. Early bird tickets are now available.

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NATIONAL PĀNUI

Audience raising hands during a public consultation meeting, representing community engagement in the Draft NZ Curriculum 2026 consultation process.

Extend the Consultation Period on the Draft NZ Curriculum 2026 | Petition Repost

Child creating a leaf collage artwork with paint and brushes, representing innovative and creative STEM teaching in New Zealand classrooms.

Royal Society Te Apārangi Teaching Excellence Award (STEM)

Young people learning practical horticulture skills in an outdoor garden setting, representing a Level 2 Primary Industry Skills pathway in New Zealand.

Hei Whanake | A Free Level 2 Primary Industry Pathway for Rangatahi

Primary school students collaborating around a laptop in a classroom, representing AI literacy learning for Day of AI Aotearoa New Zealand 2026 for Years 5 to 10.

Day of AI Aotearoa New Zealand 2026 | Expressions of Interest Open

Silhouette of a person using a telescope under a star-filled night sky, representing a weekend astronomy course in Central Otago focused on stargazing and Southern Hemisphere constellations.

Weekend Astronomy Course in Central Otago | Aotearoa Astrotourism Academy

Promotional graphic for the Thriving Cities Webinar Series titled “Assessing Urban Biodiversity,” featuring presenters Yolanda van Heezik and Jacqui Theis, with event details for 25 February 2026 and a focus on tools for measuring biodiversity in urban backyards, buildings and commercial properties in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Assessing Urban Biodiversity | Thriving Cities Webinar

Colourful classroom microscopes lined up on a laboratory bench, representing science education in Aotearoa New Zealand.

NZARE Top 10 Posts of 2025

Rows of horticultural crops growing on trellises in a New Zealand vineyard, representing agricultural and horticultural science contexts

HATA: Agricultural and Horticultural Science in the Draft Science Curriculum

BAY OF PLENTY PĀNUI

2026 Tauranga Innovative Education Summit

The Briefing | Issue No. 2 - Bay Science

Illustrated banner for Sustainable Backyards March 2026 in the Bay of Plenty, featuring colourful drawings of gardening, composting and sustainable living activities.

Sustainable Backyards | Envirohub Bay of Plenty 2026

Tauranga Harbour at dusk near the Tauranga Yacht Club, venue for Cafe Scientifique Tauranga 2026 science talks.

Cafe Scientifique Tauranga 2026 Dates Announced

Students presenting projects at Te Tūkohu Ngāwhā Mātauranga Māori Science and Design Fair 2025 at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre.

Te Tūkohu Ngāwhā 2026 | Mātauranga Māori Science and Design Fair – Dates Confirmed, Registrations Open

Volcano – A Science Comedy Show by Ben Miller

Tauranga Student Space Innovation Hub – Open Evening

Artist’s impression of NASA’s Orion spacecraft orbiting the Moon, representing the Artemis programme and future human lunar exploration.

Make the Impossible, Possible | NASA Artemis Talk in Tauranga

RANGATAHI OPPORTUNITIES

KAIAKO OPPORTUNITIES

Hei Whanake | A Free Level 2 Primary Industry Pathway for Rangatahi

Hei Whanake offers a fully funded 20-week Level 2 Primary Industry Skills course for rangatahi aged 16–24, with hands-on horticulture experience and pastoral support.

Hei Whanake | A Free Level 2 Primary Industry Pathway for Rangatahi

Te Tūkohu Ngāwhā 2026 | Mātauranga Māori Science and Design Fair – Dates Confirmed, Registrations Open

Tauranga Student Space Innovation Hub – Open Evening

School Sustainability and Resilience Fund | Bay of Plenty Schools

2026 Tauranga Innovative Education Summit

The Tauranga Innovative Education Summit returns on 12 June 2026, bringing world-class professional learning to the Bay of Plenty. Early bird tickets are now available.

2026 Tauranga Innovative Education Summit

Royal Society Te Apārangi Teaching Excellence Award (STEM)

Day of AI Aotearoa New Zealand 2026 | Expressions of Interest Open

NZAEE Webinar: Sustainability Education in Secondary Schools

ASSOCIATION PĀNUI

NZARE Top 10 Posts of 2025

NZARE’s Top 10 Posts of 2025 highlight the research that resonated most with educators across Aotearoa. Ranked number seven, this piece reflects on science curriculum reform and the broader conversation shaping its future.

NZARE Top 10 Posts of 2025

HATA: Agricultural and Horticultural Science in the Draft Science Curriculum

Educator Association Updates | January and February 2026

Open Letter: He Rau Ringa - The Joint Subject Associations of Aotearoa New Zealand

More Association Updates

KAIAKO HIGHLIGHT

Kaiako Highlight: Jim Critchley

Jim Critchley is an Earth and Space Science educator who thrives on creating those chance encounters that open doors for students. Whether it’s connecting learners with industry, organising field trips that make science tangible, or guiding rangatahi to think critically in an information-rich world, Jim’s teaching is about sparking curiosity and showing how science and technology evolve together.

Kaiako Highlight: Whaea Tania Jackson

Introducing Whaea Tania Jackson, a secondary school kaiako of science and te reo Māori, and an emerging curriculum leader in kaupapa Māori. Her mahi spans both the classroom and the wider community, where she plays a pivotal role in the Tauranga Moana Māori Teachers’ Association.

Kaiako Highlight: Sky Smale

Meet Sky Smale, an educator, artist, and environmental advocate involved with the Kaharoa Kōkako Trust and Paraiti Catchment Care Group.

SCIENCE IN ACTION

Te Reo o Te Repo was created to give voice to our wetlands through the voices of our people, raising awareness of wetland values and restoration from a Te Ao Māori perspective. Tuihonoa Te Reo o Te Repo was developed in response to kaiako who wanted to support ākonga to become kaitiaki of their local repo. Yvonne with fellow co-editors, Cheri van Schravendijk-Goodman and Dr Bev Clarkson. Source: Image supplied, © Yvonne Taura

Scientist Highlight: Yvonne Taura

Freshwater ecologist Yvonne Taura (Ngāiterangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Uenuku, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) didn’t always see herself in science. Now her mahi is reshaping how kaiako, kairangahau, and communities think about wetlands, mātauranga Māori, and the purpose of science education in Aotearoa.

Lizzie Thompson conducting a diving survey as part of her marine science research.

Scientist Highlight: Lizzie Thompson | Marine Science

Marine scientist Lizzie Thompson is exploring how marine ecosystems recover after disruption. Find out how her work at Otāiti/Astrolabe Reef can support real-world science learning in your classroom—and what it’s really like to do fieldwork beneath the waves!

Juliet Linzmeier, a Master of Environmental Science student at Tauranga's Coastal Marine Field Station, is helping lay the groundwork for New Zealand’s emerging seaweed aquaculture industry. Our first Scientist Highlight aims to broaden the scope of curriculum and NCEA with real-world research examples, as well as capture researcher perspectives of what led them into STEM careers.

Scientist Highlight: Juliet Linzmeier | Marine Science

Juliet Linzmeier, a Master of Environmental Science student at Tauranga's Coastal Marine Field Station, is helping lay the groundwork for New Zealand’s emerging seaweed aquaculture industry. Our first Scientist Highlight aims to broaden the scope of curriculum and NCEA with real-world research examples, as well as capture researcher perspectives of what led them into STEM careers.