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Connecting Science Educators

View from Pāpāmoa Hills Regional Park

Latest News

Year 11 students building a hands-on engineering project during a STEM programme for girls in New Zealand

STEM Programme for Year 11-12 Girls NZ | Innovative Young Minds 2026

Looking for a STEM programme for Year 11 and 12 girls in NZ? Innovative Young Minds 2026 offers online and residential options designed to inspire future innovators.

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NATIONAL PĀNUI

STEM Programme for Year 11-12 Girls NZ | Innovative Young Minds 2026

Aerial view of Kirikiriroa Hamilton city and the Waikato River, location of the Hamilton Public Lecture on climate education

Can Education Help Us Address the Climate Crisis?

Students working with microscopes during a Scholarship Biology practical session in a secondary school laboratory

Scholarship Biology Online Workshops

Are high stakes exams and assessments still relevant? | OECD Education and Skills

Auckland Zoo Teacher Professional Development

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

BAY OF PLENTY PĀNUI

Decorated backyard predator trap box used by a Pāpāmoa College student for Predator Free Bay of Plenty trap competition.

Log Your Trap Kills and Be in to Win | Predator Free Bay of Plenty Trap Competition

Students raising hands in a classroom discussion about the Draft Science Curriculum NZ during a lesson

Draft Science Curriculum NZ Feedback | Bay Science Initial Impressions Survey Now Closed

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

RANGATAHI OPPORTUNITIES

KAIAKO OPPORTUNITIES

STEM Programme for Year 11-12 Girls NZ | Innovative Young Minds 2026

Looking for a STEM programme for Year 11 and 12 girls in NZ? Innovative Young Minds 2026 offers online and residential options designed to inspire future innovators.

STEM Programme for Year 11-12 Girls NZ | Innovative Young Minds 2026

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

Auckland Zoo Teacher Professional Development

Applications are open for the Auckland Zoo Teacher Professional Development programme — a year-long opportunity for secondary teachers to deepen conservation science knowledge and lead local projects with their students.

Auckland Zoo Teacher Professional Development

2026 Tauranga Innovative Education Summit

Royal Society Te Apārangi Teaching Excellence Award (STEM)

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

More Kaiako Opportunities

ASSOCIATION PĀNUI

Draft Science Curriculum NZ Feedback | Bay Science Initial Impressions Survey Now Closed

Bay Science’s initial impressions survey on the Draft Science Curriculum NZ has now closed. This post summarises the key themes raised by educators, alongside informal community poll data and next steps for detailed review.

Draft Science Curriculum NZ Feedback | Bay Science Initial Impressions Survey Now Closed

NZARE Top 10 Posts of 2025

HATA: Agricultural and Horticultural Science in the Draft Science Curriculum

Educator Association Updates | January and February 2026

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.