The Briefing | Issue No. 2 - Bay Science
- 39 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Rātapu 15 o Hui-tanguru 2026
Kia ora koutou
Envirohub Bay of Plenty has an epic range of events coming up in March.
If you've been thinking about science fair, details for Te Tūkohu Ngāwhā have now been confirmed: Rotorua Energy Events Centre from 26-28 August (Term 3 Week 6).
On the topic of locations and dates, we're currently finalising a venue and day for our first 2026 cluster. Just a heads-up; this cluster will run slightly differently as we'll be sifting through the draft curriculums to formulate an organisational-level response as feedback. Thank you everyone who completed our First Impressions survey -- those findings will be released during the week.
For those who live, breathe and constantly read all things science education -- Rosemary Hipkins has released a new title, Lifelong learning for a post-truth world.
Ngā manaakitanga,
Bay Science
GENERAL NEWS
Sustainable Backyards (Bay of Plenty) has a huge line-up of events happening in March. Check out the calendar for your region here.
Whakatanē Kiwi Trust is on the lookout for new Education Volunteers. Their education co-ordinator is on the lookout for volunteers to assist with their Education Programme for school children. Please get in touch: volunteer@whakatanekiwi.org.nz
Kaharoa Kokakō Trust: Swap chocolates for gloves this Valentine’s season and join Kaharoa Kōkako Trust for a volunteer work morning on 28 February, finishing no later than 12pm. Focused on weed clearing and light track maintenance, it is practical conservation, steady mahi, and a cuppa afterwards — full details are on their Facebook page. No experience? No worries.
Reo Kōrero announced they would be delivering online reo Māori training for thousands of teachers across Aotearoa. If you would like to become an Ataarangi ONLINE tutor through Ara Whakangungu, see their Facebook post here.
The Seed Pod has released a recorded korero with Arabella Crowley, an Australian marine biologist. Now on Spotify.
New Zealand Council for Education Research (NZCER) is looking for Karangahau Māori and Kaitātari Raraunga Māori to join their team designing and implementing kaupapa Māori research. Details here.
The People, Cities and Nature team are running a webinar as part of their Thriving Cities series, focused on assessing urban biodiversity in Aotearoa New Zealand (25th February 2026).
Cafe Scientifique (Tauranga) has announced the dates of this year's Tauranga Yacht Club talks.
EVENT FORECAST
Our full calendar is available here.
Feb 18 - SCANZ Networking Night (Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Nelson, Chirstchurch, Dunedin). No need to RSVP – just show up and ask to be directed to the area reserved for SCANZ.
Feb 21 - Rotorua Repair Cafē. We’re diverting waste and repairing things to make them last longer!
Feb 21 - Local Wild Food Festival 2026, Whakatāne. One of the Eastern Bay of Plenty’s most iconic events, celebrating abundant food found in our diverse natural environment.
Feb 24 - NASA Make the Impossible, Possible - UoW Tauranga.
Feb 24 - Capital City Complex Systems Symposium, Wellington.
Feb 25 - Unpacking the Arts Curriculum, by Aotearoa Educators Collective. Secondary science educators may be more interested in their first webinar about the science curriculum here.
Feb 25 - DayBreak - Festival of Innovation 2026 UoW Tauranga Campus.
Feb 26 - Karioi Project (Raglan) Detox Day. Help clear any leftover toxins in our bait station network
Feb 28 - Wilde Weeds Workshop (Giggles Te Puke Early Learning Centre)
Feb 28, Mar 1 - Rongoa Maori 1 (Option 2, Tauranga) by Titoki Education
Mar 1 - Moturiki Island Clean-Up.
Mar 1 - Edible Backyard Safari (Grown on Katikati).
Mar 1 - Childrens Day Rotorua.
CONFERENCE WATCHLIST
2026 NZ Bird Conference (May 30 - Jun 1)
Science Communicators of Aotearoa NZ Conference (Jun 24-26)
ASERA 2026 (Australasian Science Education Research Association) takes place in Brisbane (30 June - 3 July).
UpliftEd by Aotearoa Educators Collective (July 8-9)
NZ Plant Conservation Network conference (Oct 12-15)
New Zealand Association of Environmental Education Conference (Sept-Oct holidays; planning in progress).
Chem-Ed Biolive by SCENZ and BEANZ (Nov 18-20)
RESOURCES
Eight more resources have been added to the directory.
Ion Builder (H → Kr) - Electron Configuration Minigame is an interactive ion builder app designed to help Year 13 Chemistry students visualise ion formation and strengthen their understanding of periodic trends across the first 36 elements.
The New Zealand Physics Teachers' Resource Bank has science teaching resources for New Zealand schools; demonstrations, activities, experiments
150 Science Experiments that you can carry out without specialist equipment (Fizzics Education AU).
Te Whare Oro is an interactive model for exploring the roro (brain) and neurodevelopment through a Māori worldview.
A review of the Periodic Table composed of 119 science haiku, one for each element, plus a closing haiku for element 119 (not yet synthesized).
The Lifecycle of a Shore Crab (NZ Marine Studies Centre, UoO).
Experiments with light is an art and science education resource for primary and intermediate teachers from Te Papa.
The Periodic Table of Elements in pictures.
A free kid-friendly book about earthquakes by Latasha Wanoa and Melanie Mark-Shadbolt (Te Tira Whakamātaki)
RANGATAHI OPPORTUNITIES
Dates and venues are now confirmed for Te Tūkohu Ngāwhā 2026 Mātauranga Māori Science and Design Fair! Check it out here, get your colleagues involved and let's make 2026 an epic one!
Steam-Ed Charitable Trust, Tauranga, has released it's Term 1 after school and home-school programmes.
The Wednesday Challenge for Schools is a programme which encourages students and kura to rethink the ways we get to and from school. It's free, and there's thousands of dollars in prizes.
Hei Whanake is a free Level 2 Primary Industry Pathway for rangatahi in Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough and Nelson/Tasman.
The following programmes have been added to the Experiences directory. Experiences are field trips, student challenges, activities, guest speakers etc that complement classroom learning. See the full directory here.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari (Waikato) offers immersive education programmes that place ākonga inside one of Aotearoa’s most significant ecological restoration projects.
The Matuku Link Wetland Education Programme (Auckland) is a hands-on outdoor learning experience set within Te Henga, Tāmaki Makaurau’s largest mainland wetland.
Spaceward Bound New Zealand (NZ-Wide) offers immersive, hands-on school visit programmes that bring space science, astronomy and astrobiology directly into classrooms across Aotearoa.
BLAKE NZ-VR (NZ-Wide) brings immersive ocean and climate learning into schools using virtual reality.
KAIAKO OPPORTUNITIES
Day of AI Aotearoa New Zealand is a national initiative designed to build AI literacy for students in Years 5 to 10 across Aotearoa. Following 2025's first-ever event, organisers are now preparing for Day of AI 2026, with a pre-launch webinar on February 19.
Reminder: Get your applications in for the Sustainability and Resilience Fund.
The Aotearoa Astrotourism Academy is running a 2½-day weekend astronomy course in Naseby, Central Otago, from 27 to 29 March 2026
EDUCATION ASSOCIATION UPDATES
Detailed updates available here. Summary below.
The New Zealand Association of Research Education (NZARE) has published it's Top 10 posts of 2025.
HATA has analysed the draft Science and Social Sciences Curriculums and shared a position with their members.
Whaea Tania, Te Kīkini o te Rehutai, has updated her contact details: tjackson@otc.school.nz
Technology Educators of New Zealand (TENZ) has published an article Reflecting on the Draft Curriculum.
News from across the Tasman Last week, the Australian Geography Teachers Association and the Australian Association of Environmental Education joined forces to present and share a consensus position paper "Climate Change Education (CCE) Position Paper: A call to action". The executive summary calls for five actions:
Make climate change education explicit and mandatory across the F–12 curriculum to support Australian students to be active, responsible citizens.
Develop a conceptual progression of learning, through the curriculum, that leads to deep engagement with human-induced climate change across all years of schooling.
Provide professional learning for pre-service and in-service teachers, school leaders, and administrators to build knowledge, values, and skills related to climate change education across disciplines.
Develop a national education action plan that prioritises climate action.
Fund a coordinated program that enables multiple cross-institutional research initiatives to inform effective climate change education in schools.
SCIENCE CURRICULUM
The Ministry of Education has announced the contents of their 'Science Kits'. Subscribed Bay Science readers would have received an email last week.
Reminder: Feedback on the draft science curriculum Y0-10 is due on April 24th.
Māori education package and draft curriculum release as school starts (Beehive Press Release)
NCEA
Last year, Bay Science published a post which contained draft material about the "incoming" 2026 changes. As those changes are now live, our old post has links which no longer work. We have re-collated all of the changes here.
PIVOTAL PERSPECTIVES
Commentaries and research relevant to science education and curriculum reform
Dr Catherine Hill, a senior lecturer from the Victoria University Wellington - Te Herenga Waka has written an opinion piece Not much login in draft curriculum's sheer amound of 'knowledge' (Newsroom).
The New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE) has shared its Top 10 most-read research posts of 2025.
Rosemary Hipkins has published a new title, Lifelong learning for a post-truth world (NZCER)
2026 is a challenging year for science action given the complicated geopolitical context and the declining support and funding for science. Much will depend on how the scientific community rises to the challenge of continuing and reframing their crucial work in driving climate action. The International Science Council has published Science for climate action: a 2026 agenda.
For many Māori, archaeology has a bad name, with treasures removed to museums, stripped of context and spiritual care. Now, as rising seas threaten ancestral places, one iwi is leading digs themselves. Read How to dig a better hole (NZ Geographic).
Overall, the pace of the science curriculum changes feels…
0%Too fast
0%Too slow
0%About right
Findings from previous informal polls
60% of readers are not trialling or implementing the draft science curriculum, compared to 40% who are, in Term 1 2026 [15/02/26]
89% of readers would like General Science to be a subject in Year 12 and 13 [05/02/26]
83% of readers have major concerns about the draft science learning area [05/02/26]
The Briefing is Bay Science’s regular newsletter for the Bay of Plenty community engaged in science education. While grounded in our rohe, we occasionally share developments from beyond the Bay to empower kaiako to connect more widely and to invite collaboration with organisations who want to engage with our growing, connected community. Our website shares updates as we become aware of them; The Briefing brings these together into the inboxes of readers who prefer a more periodic roundup. Subscribe below. |