The Briefing | Issue No. 4 - Bay Science

Rātapu 1 o Poutū-te-rangi 2026

Leatherback turtles have been sighted near Mount Maunganui. See the NZ Herald news story here.

Kia ora koutou

It's Sea Week! We've added a heap of marine science resources which have surfaced, including this absolute treasure trove of colourful posters!

Also, don't forget -- both of our marine scientist highlights, Juliet Linzmeier and Lizzie Thompson, have suggested learning experiences with links to resources too.

In NCEA news, National Moderator Reports for 2026 are now available. For convenience, we've collated all of the science ones here.

Finally, one of our readers is hoping to find more participants for their research. Can you help?

Ngā manaakitanga,

Bay Science

info@bayscience.nz

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      GENERAL NEWS

• Can you help? Welcome Bay School’s plea for scrap metal fundraiser (Sunlive)
  

• A PhD student from the University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, is looking for a few more participants for her research.
  

• NZ Penguin Initiative releases their first newsletter for 2026. There are some great diagrams about the variety of kororā diets across the motu.
  

• A video snippet of Rakiura the Kākāpo's chick being weighed, and another of Rakiura defending her nest.
  

• A new national awards programme, The New Zealand Education Excellence Awards 2026, has been launched by the Ministry of Education to recognise outstanding schools and kura across Aotearoa.
  

• University of Waikato has a range of Experience STEM events coming up from mid April. We'll keep tabs on it, but you may wish to mention this to colleagues and students.
  

• Leatherback turtles have been spotted in Mount Maunganui (Nathan Pettigrew, NZ Herald).

      EVENT FORECAST

Our full calendar is available here.

Feb 28 - Mar 8 - Heaps of events around the motu are happening for Sea Week 2026!

Mar 1 - Moturiki Island Clean-Up.

Mar 1 - Edible Backyard Safari (Grown on Katikati).

Mar 1 - Childrens Day Rotorua.

Mar 4 - Mātauranga Māori in Outdoor Education (Motueka Wananga)

Mar 4 - Superheroes in Marine Restoration (Envirohub BoP and Sutainable Backyards).

Mar 5 - Envirohub Rotorua: Deflated but Elevated: Upcycled Bag Workshop

Mar 5 - Kororā Bowentown Bays Clean (Envirohub Western BoP)

Mar 5 - Tauranga Moana Biosecurity Capital Partners Forum Seaweek 2026

Mar 5 - Mushroom Cultivation Workshop (Sustainable Backyards Tauranga)

Mar 5 - Composting Workshop (Whakatane)

Mar 6 - Envirohub BoP Clothes Swap at Blackbird Records

Mar 6 - Rotorua Sustainable Backyards Garden Tea Party

Mar 7 - Envirohub BoP Penguin Parade Charity Waddle

Mar 7 - Gateway to Guardianship - Te Kūaha o Kaitiakitanga (Wingspan)

Mar 8 - Seed Saving Workshop (Whakatane, Envirohub BoP).

Mar 8 - Open Garden - Lux Organics (Sustainable Backyards BoP).

Mar 8 - Pa Kereru Track - Guided Walk (Sustainable Backyards WBOP).

Mar 11-12 - Ahumahi Mai – Give it a Go! Aquaculture! (Ōhope)

Mar 12 - Low Waste Events for Schools (Envirohub Rotorua)

Mar 13 - Wairoa River Kayak Clean Up (Envirohub Tauranga)

Mar 13 - Guardians of the Beach: Discovering our local shorebirds (Waihi, Envirohub WBOP).

Mar 13 - Ocean Film Festival World Tour (UNITED Cinemas Bayfair, Mount Maunganui). Other NZ locations available too.

Mar 14 - Open Garden (Kai Rotorua)

Mar 14 - Community Garden Festival Day (Various areas in BoP)

Mar 14 - Whakatāne Kiwi Trust Quiz Night Fundraiser (Whakatāne)

Mar 15 - Survival of the Fittest: Learn about Marine Pest Species (Envirohub WBOP).

Mar 15 - Guided Farm Tour (Envirohub Rotorua)

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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

More resources have been added to the directory. Note, our directory only saves free resources which do not require a sign-up/login.

• Tauranga City Council has a range of education programmes to support environmental education. We've added this to the experiences directory.
  

• Out There Learning is a YouTube channel which visits various geological features around Aotearoa NZ.
  

• NASA Toolkits are compilations of free downloadable resources with various science themes. For example, toolkits may contain ready-to-print posters, social media graphics, or bookmark templates.
  

• Become A Bug Hunter! is a free guide from Kiwi Conservation Club's latest Wild Things magazine.
  

• eSkeletons provides an interactive environment in which to examine and learn about skeletal anatomy of humans, gorillas and baboons. Tip: use the compare function to search for specific bones.
  

• To celebrate Sea Week, Kiwi Conservation Club has shared a free link to a sea-themed edition of Wild Things.
  

• NASA's Image and Video Library has thousands of files which can be used for educational purposes (see their usage guidelines here).
  

• The Magnet Academy has interactive demonstrations related to the laws and tools of electricity and magnetism.
  

• Reminder: Victoria University has senior physics resources offered in Te Reo Māori and English.
  

• Northland Regional Council has school information packs to support learning about looking after our local environment.
  

• Kitchen Science Experiments that you can do at home (Science with Mrs B).
  

• Suzy's World - Science Investigations (TreehutTV YouTube).
  

• Hauraki Gulf Forum has heaps of free colourful posters!
  

• The Sea Week website has collated a variety of teaching tools for primary, intermediate and secondary.
  

      RANGATAHI OPPORTUNITIES

• iNVENTIONATOR 2026 is a free online innovation experience designed for Years 6 to 9 ākonga across Aotearoa.
  

• The Ocean Youth Aotearoa Autumn Programme is back for 2026. Ocean Youth Aotearoa is a five-day immersive experience held during the second week of the April school holidays for 13-17 year old students.
  

• Reminders:
  

  • Get registered for Te Tūkohu Ngāwhā!
    

  • Innovative Young Minds (IYM) is a not-for-profit initiative and STEM programme for Year 11 and 12 girls in New Zealand to explore pathways in STEMM.
    

      KAIAKO OPPORTUNITIES

• Reminders: Nominations for the new Royal Society Te Apārangi Teaching Excellence Award (STEM) are now open. Closes March 31st; not to be confused with the Prime Minister's Science Teacher Prize.

      EDUCATION ASSOCIATION UPDATES

Detailed updates available here. Summary below.

• AEC: Join Shamubeel Eaqub and Stephen Lethbridge as they unpack the economic story of education in Aotearoa.
  

• SCANZ: Pre-Conference Workshop Details are now available. Spaces are limited.

  
  

Association News from Australia

A position paper prepared by three peak Australian science teacher associations reveals deep dissatisfaction across the sector regarding climate change education and the way it is taught in schools. (Education HQ).

      SCIENCE CURRICULUM

• I Am Brie Elliott (Facebook) has noticed that curriculum levels and year levels have changed for e-asTTle reading, writing and maths. This might have implications for other learning areas such as science, as well as how our curriculum levels 'line up' with how 'grades' are reported overseas.
  

• Kia mōhio mai: a variety of readings related to science curriculum reform have been included in the 'pivotal perspectives' section of this newsletter.
  

• Reminders:
  

  • Feedback on the draft science curriculum Y0-10 is due on April 24th.

  • Science Learning Kits from MoE are also available with the opportunity for feedback.
    

  • A public change.org poll is live to extend the consultation period on the draft curriculum.

      NCEA

• NZQA has published National Moderator's reports for 2026. The reports gives feedback to assist assessors with general issues and trends that have been identified during external moderation of the internally assessed standards in 2025. For convenience, Bay Science has collated all the science reports here.
  

      PIVOTAL PERSPECTIVES

Readings and talks which may be relevant to us; commentaries and research relevant to science education and curriculum reform.

• Unlocking High-Quality Teaching (OECD). In an Aotearoa New Zealand context, readers may wish to add the works of Russell Bishop and Welby Ings.
  

• An accidental guru: The making of an education warrior (Pasi Sahlberg). If you liked this reading, you will also enjoy R. Hipkins' latest book.
  

• Education for Human Fluorishing (OECD) advocates that education systems should nurture a broader range of capabilities to help restore meaning to young people's lives and equip them with the skills and ambition to remake our societies, economies and organisations.
  

• Primary school curricula must include a much stronger focus on environment, sustainability and climate change (UNESCO). This publication summarizes the findings of new research to determine the extent to which climate change and sustainability issues are mainstreamed in primary (Grade 3 and Grade 6) education.
  

• Digital Education Outlook 2026 - Exploring Effective Uses of Generative AI in Education (OECD).

Does the draft Science curriculum adequately prepare students for a world shaped by AI, climate change, and global uncertainty?

• 0%Yes
• 0%No
• 0%Unsure

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Findings from previous informal polls

• 58% of readers are not trialling or implementing the draft science curriculum, in Term 1 2026
  

• 91% of readers would like General Science to be a subject in Year 12 and 13
  

• 85% of readers have major concerns about the draft science learning area
  

• 73% of readers think that the pace of the science curriculum changes feels too fast
  

• 97% of readers think that the Nature of Science should be explicitly taught in the science curriculum

The percentages reported above were sourced as at March 01, 2026.

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