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The Briefing | Issue No. 28 - Bay Science Newsletter

18 hours ago
9 min read

Aotearoa NZ's home of science education news.

Rātapu, te 11 o Oketopa 2026


Bay Science has shared it's Little Bush Moa skeleton with the community to support science and environmental education!
Bay of Plenty schools can now arrange a school visit with a 1:1 life size little bush moa skeleton! The Little Bush Moa was the smallest of all the moa species. From left; Janie (Bay Conservation Alliance), Vicki and Lian (Bay Science).

Kia ora koutou


Are your students learning about biodiversity and the environment? Earlier this year we completed our replica 1:1 scale model skeleton of the Little Bush Moa, and we're delighted to share it with our community!


The moa is currently on tour with Bay Conservation Alliance and has already started visiting kura in the Bay of Plenty after appearing at the National Endangered Species Hui last term. Kaiako can reach out to Janie at Bay Conservation Alliance: education@bayconservation.nz


Following it's tour, the moa will find it's forever home in Te Whare Taonga o Tauranga's learning hub when it is completed in 2028. The "specially designed learning hub will offer curriculum-linked education programmes for school groups of all ages, school holiday programmes, lecture series and other events".


Also, don't forget that Earth Fest 2026 is happening on our doorstep in Rotorua during November 29-30. Get your PLD applications in!

Kia kaha,

Lian and Vicki info@bayscience.nz

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Bay Science Newsletter


  • Taking Science Beyond the Classroom! If you're looking to organise an international trip, Defining Moments has a range of packages and experiences for all learning areas. https://www.definingmoments.co.nz/

  • Unique Job: Dunedin Wildlife Hospital Dunedin Wildlife Hospital are seeking a new Junior Wildlife Veterinarian to join their team in a part-time, fixed-term role. https://nz.seek.com/job/95041907

  • Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council Environmental Enhancement Fund If you have an idea for a project that you think will make a difference in your local environment, the Environmental Enhancement Fund is now open with grants of up to $25000. https://www.boprc.govt.nz/living-in-the-bay/community-funding/environmental-enhancement-fund/

  • New book released: Whose Knowledge Counts? Knowledge takes many forms, but not all are valued equally. Pounamu Jade Aikman shows how particular ways of knowing underpin life in Aotearoa, to the exclusion of others. Ranging from Foucault to Spock to school lunches, Aikman traces the marginalisation of Indigenous knowledge systems. He looks at the impact of this on our economy, prisons, politics and constitutional relationships, asking is knowledge, like space, our final frontier? https://www.bwb.co.nz/books/whose-knowledge-counts

  • Flappy Families - new boardgame Flappy Families is a family-friendly board game for 2 - 5 players where players collect sets of native New Zealand birds while trying to avoid the Predators! https://www.flappyfamilies.co.nz/

  • New Heights Reading - Massively discounted books In celebration of their Founder's NZ Order of Merit Award, New Heights Reading currently has books to giveaway (e.g. buy one to cover costs, get five free).

    https://www.newheightsreading.nz/

  • Kiwi Conservation Club - Join or Renew for the October Prize! This month, new members go into the draw to win a two-way bug viewer and EUGY wētā. Renewing members go into the draw to win a Kodak BCS100 8x21 binoculars! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14q4PJpNXM7/


Reminders:


Our full calendar is available here. Let us know how we can help promote your event.

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CONFERENCE WATCHLIST (CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)



The following have been added to our Experiences page and Resources directory. While we may share resources here, directory only saves items which are free and which do not require a login.



  • Paper Me Printable templates of various styles of notebook paper such as graph paper, dot paper, music paper, hexagonal grid paper - whatever style of paper, they probably have it! https://paperme.pixzens.com/en

  • What are Critical Minerals? The Royal Society of Chemistry recently reposted their short documentary 'What are critical minerals and why should you care?'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3BpfbIgDjg

  • Y11-13 Science, mapped Benny Pan has built a Year 11-13 science subject navigator using Claude AI. https://claude.ai/artifact/Vq6YhrN54vxj1zHvcfrZtN

  • How to Live on Earth - Presented by Benedict Cumberbatch What if the solutions to building a better future already exist? How to Live on Earth is an ambitious feature documentary that explores how humanity can build a safe and thriving future by working with nature, not against it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3mRsvFmWi0

  • ZPeriod An interactive Periodic Table https://zperiod.app/


  • National STEAM competition - Bricks 4 Kids The Bricks 4 Kidz National STEAM Competition 2026 brings young minds together to imagine, create, build and innovate through exciting hands-on challenges. https://www.bricks4kidz.co.nz/steam-competition/

    Ministry of Inspiration Term 4 Enrolments Now Open!

    For Nelson and Marlborough STEAMS classes. Spaces are limited.

    https://inspiringexplorers.co.nz/

  • New Zealand Chemistry Olympiad Competition Results are now out for the NZ Chemistry Olympiad competition. Students can see their score by logging into Education Perfect.

    • Gold Certificate: 34/40 or higher.

    • Silver Certificate: 28/40 - 33/40

    • Bronze Certificate: 21/40 - 27/40

    Successful students will have received an email with next steps. If not, get in touch with stmccracken@outlook.com



REMINDERS:


Meanwhile...


  • The Australian Science Teachers Association recently joined the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions at a roundtable discussion calling for more explicit inclusion of climate science in the Australian Curriculum. "We will continue to work on policies to see age-appropriate implementation of climate science education across multiple subjects". https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1J8teQ8P1g/

  • NZQA Free Workshops The fourth round of free online workshops to help improve your assessment practice was opened on September 28! Participants are invited to enrol for any or all of Assessment Approaches, Transforming Assessment Praxis (TAP), or Making Assessor Judgements (available for certain subjects). These repeated eight-week self-paced workshops are free and can be accessed using your Education Sector Logon. https://lms.nzqa.govt.nz/local/login/index.php

Whakaaro which may be relevant to us as science educators.


Save the date: Bay Science is joining a super cluster on November 9th 2026. Invites to follow soon.


Follow Bay Science on our social media channels:


Bay Science is an unincorporated national teachers association standing for progressive and inclusive science education. Our channels serve as the most comprehensive noticeboard of science education news and events across Aotearoa New Zealand. The Briefing is a free weekly email newsletter for members. Sign up below. If your organisation has a kaupapa, event, or opportunity to share with the science education community, we’ll happily share it here.


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© 2025-2026 Lian Soh and Vicki Alderson-Wallace

info@bayscience.nz

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