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The Briefing | Issue No. 30 - Bay Science Newsletter

1 hour ago
11 min read

Aotearoa NZ's home of science education news.

Tūrei, te 27 o Oketopa 2026


The Briefing Issue 30 Bay Science Newsletter hero image showing Wairaka statue and Moutohorā Island at Whakatāne Heads.
Coming up: Join Bay Science and the Aotearoa Educators Collective (AEC) live on Wednesday, November 4th as we unpack what has changed in the finalised Phase 1–4 Science Curriculum and how to prepare for the road ahead. Image: The statue of Wairaka on Turuturu Roimata rock at Whakatāne.

Kia ora koutou


Welcome to Issue 30 of The Briefing, our weekly Bay Science newsletter, and welcome back from the Labour Day long weekend! Term 4 is moving fast, and our focus over the coming weeks is all about bringing kaiako together to navigate the road ahead.


Fortunately, nobody has to do that heavy lifting in isolation. Over the next fortnight, we have our Bay Science x AEC Phase 1–4 Science Curriculum Webinar on November 4th, followed by our in-person BoP Science Cluster at Pāpāmoa College on the afternoon of November 9th. Alongside those dates, this week's issue brings you Term 4 PLD lineups from ESSENZ, NZAEE, and HATA, free classroom activities (from virtual frog dissections to paper hominid skulls), and local Bay of Plenty environmental events. Kia kaha,

Lian and Vicki info@bayscience.nz

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  • Coming Soon to the Bay of Plenty: The Song They Saved — People Behind Kōkako Recovery What started with a few old photographs and fascinating stories has grown into a new film by KEEP (Supported by Bay Trust, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, and Forest & Bird). The documentary tells the story of the people behind the pioneering research that ensured the song of the North Island kōkako would never fall silent. Screenings are coming soon across the Bay of Plenty. Keep an eye on https://keep.org.nz

  • FUTURES 2036: Coastal Bay of Plenty (Wai Kōkopu & Te Puke EDG) 2036 is only 10 years away—what could the next decade look like for our region? Join Wai Kōkopu on Tuesday 10 November for an evening featuring Dr Mike Joy and Professor Chris Battershill exploring the future of farming, growing, climate, and our coastal environment. https://events.humanitix.com/what-will-it-take-for-the-coastal-bay-of-plenty-to-thrive-in-2036

  • Te Taiao Wicked Weeders (Pou Whakaaro & HALO Whakatāne) Looking for a way to connect with nature and your community? Join the team every Monday from 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm for hands-on conservation mahi—including trap building, Ōhope Harbour natives care, Hinemoa Stream planting, and rubbish pick up. All welcome, no experience required. Contact admin@pouwhakaaro.co.nz

  • Kiwi Conservation Club (KCC) Christmas Gift Pack Promo

    Looking for a Christmas gift for tamariki (aged 5–13) that lasts all year? Join or renew with a $35 Gift Pack subscription in November to receive the 4 latest Wild Things magazines, Wild Things Activity Book 2, a kererū window decal, magnet, sticker sheets, cardboard bird model, and KCC membership—plus go in the weekly November draw for spot prizes (Tiaki by Jean Donaldson, native animal EUGY, or a cuddly toy wētā/kea). https://www.forestandbird.org.nz

  • Science in a Van Upcoming Stage Shows Full Force! (29 November) & The Wonderful World of Bubbles (Sunday 20 December, 11:00am at Covert Theatre, Auckland) https://events.humanitix.com/host/science-in-a-van

  • Closing soon! Friends of Tauranga Museum Photography Competition Capture the people, places, landscapes, traditions and moments that tell the story of Tauranga. Entries close October 31. https://tauranga.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_42644jWndHJDRMW

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.



REMINDERS:

  • Aotearoa Educators Collective

  • Earth and Space Science Educators NZ

    • As we look ahead to implementing the finalised Years 0–10 Science curriculum, ESSENZ is running a targeted series of collaborative PLD webinars on Tuesday evenings via Google Meet to help kaiako avoid a fragmented, "tick-box" checklist of facts and instead build cohesive learning journeys for their local context https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfY-RYalEnoa-MW1BxS-NVblv6bhjpLqFwO6aty3jXroAcWJw/viewform

    • Recording Now Available on YouTube: Planning for ESS in the new Yrs 1–10 Curriculum: From curriculum statements to a connected science course (presented by Mairi Borthwick & Justin Zani on 20 Oct) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0pf1--VbsY

    • Term 4 Webinars:

      • Oct 27: Intro to teaching Earth Sciences using Data Science (mainly senior ESS)

      • Nov 3: Phase 4 Curriculum: Water Cycle

      • Nov 10: Phase 4 Curriculum: Plate Tectonics

      • Nov 17th: Phase 4 Curriculum: The Solar System Register here: https://forms.gle/uBSzQqD61LHo1sGCA

  • New Zealand Association for Environmental Education Lyn Rogers is back in her teacher support role at NZAEE following the national conference in Auckland and has shared the Term 4 schedule for secondary educators and providers:

    • Week 3 (Tuesday 27 Oct, 4:00pm): Secondary EfS Webinar following up on conference kōrero, sharing stories of challenges/successes, and brainstorming how providers can best support secondary schools

    • Week 4 (Wednesday 4 Nov, 3:30pm): Informal Zoom drop-in conversation.

    • Week 5 (Tuesday 10 Nov, 4:00–5:00pm): Webinar — Exploring the EfS possibilities in Phase 4 curriculum (covering curriculum updates, timelines, and creative approaches to implementing EfS) https://www.nzaee.org.nz/events/nzaee-webinar-exploring-possibilities-for-efs-in-the-phase-4-curriculum


  • Aotearoa Climate Education Coalition ACEC has published their new climate change education guidelines. https://www.nzaee.org.nz/professional-learning/climate-change-education-guidelines-for-aotearoa-nz

  • NZ Specialist Classroom Teachers Association SCTs and senior leaders are invited to an online Zui on Tuesday 10 November (1:30–3:00pm) to unpack Sections 1 and 2 of the newly published PPTA Guidelines for Effective SCT Practice. Email nz.scts@gmail.com

  • NZARE Early Childhood Education SIG AGM Passionate about ECE research? Join the NZARE ECE SIG community for their online AGM via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday 11 November (12:00–12:30pm) https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DYdgUfxw8/

  • Horticulture & Agriculture Teachers Association

    • HATA and the Sow the Seed Advisory team are running their Term 4 Regional Hub meetings across the motu.

    • 1.4 Sustainability Practice Exam: A new Level 1.4 Sustainability exam is available on the HATA website

    • Free Grow Game Copies: Any school that has not yet requested their free copies of the Grow Game can still order them via HATA's form: https://forms.gle/kukLagjDt6JvueeN7

  • Year 0-8 Mathematics & Statistics Kits Not science-specific, but perhaps relevant for our primary and intermediate teachers: the ordering window for Ministry of Education Maths Manipulative Kits (Years 0–8) and Pāngarau kete (Tau 0–8) is open from 19 October to 13 November 2026 for 2027 delivery. Applications are submitted by Principals/DPs via Salesforce https://newzealandcurriculum.tahurangi.education.govt.nz/5637387576.p


  • NZQA: Recruiting for Chief Executive — Pouwhakahaere Permanent, Wellington-based leadership role overseeing senior secondary qualifications, the Integrated Quality Assurance Framework (IQAF), and STEP. Applications close Wednesday 18 November https://taumata.co.nz/job/chief-executive-61205377/

Whakaaro which may be relevant to us as science educators.


  • PAT Trends in Aotearoa New Zealand (2012–2026): Caution Against Speculative Policy Claims Following last week's release of NZCER's PAT trends in Aotearoa New Zealand report (which showed increases in reading comprehension, reading vocabulary, and mathematics in 2026), Senior Statistician and report author David Coblentz has published a follow-up analysis: "Phones, COVID, an hour a day? Assessing the possible causes of changes in PAT achievement". NZCER cautions that current evidence cannot prove what caused these shifts, and "any attribution of the PAT results to a particular policy or approach is speculative without further research." https://nzcer.substack.com/p/phones-covid-an-hour-a-day-assessing

  • The Helen Clark Foundation: AI is Already in Every Classroom — Policy Needs to Catch Up In a new op-ed and forthcoming report supported by Hiraya Ventures, Senior Researcher Sarah Bell highlights the bind facing New Zealand principals: students handing in AI-generated work, parents questioning AI marking, and HODs wanting to trial AI tutoring tools, while official guidance remains scattered and incomplete under our devolved school governance model https://www.helenclark.foundation/news/ai-is-already-in-every-classroom-policy-needs-to-catch-up

  • NZCER National Survey of Secondary Schools (Uiuinga ā-Motu o ngā Kura) Senior Researcher Jo MacDonald presents principal and teacher findings across six domains (Teaching and learning, Curriculum and assessment, Inclusion, Wellbeing, Support and resourcing, and Collaborative relationships) in a free webinar this Wednesday 28 October (3:30–4:30pm), unpacking how secondary schools are navigating current policy changes. https://www.nzcer.org.nz/news-and-blogs/free-research-webinar-uiuinga-motu-o-nga-kura-national-survey-secondary-schools

  • New on Ipu Kererū (NZARE Blog): The Glass Wall — Lessons About Belonging in Teacher Education New blog post on Ipu Kererū by Eunice Gaerlan from AUT. She shares her research exploring the experience of student teachers who face discrimination whilst on practicum. https://nzareblog.wordpress.com/2026/10/22/the-glass-wall-lessons-about-belonging-in-teacher-education/

  • Bay Science Regional Super Cluster — Monday 9 November 2026 A reminder that registrations are open for the science arm of our upcoming regional super cluster on November 9th! Make sure you lock in your spot here: https://www.bayscience.nz/post/cluster-3-2026-bay-science

  • Science Curriculum Phase 1-4 Webinar Bay Science x Aotearoa Educators Collective will be hosting a live webinar on November 4th to discuss what's changed since the release of the finalised science curriculum, and how to prepare for the road which lies ahead.

  • 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 the free weekly Bay Science 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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