The Briefing | Issue No. 6 - Bay Science

Rātapu 15 o Poutū-te-rangi 2026

Photo of the venue for Bay Science’s first 2026 science curriculum cluster meeting. Details are now live. Photo supplied.

Kia ora koutou

We have about half a dozen spaces still available for our first cluster meeting on Thursday, March 26th. We'll be utilising the day to sift through the science curriculum documents in detail so it's a great chance to grow your familiarity with the changes.

Once registrations are full, we will move to a waitlist system. We'll update our event post here with the latest.

We've also created a new menu item on our website where past editions of our newsletters can be found.

Ngā manaakitanga,

Bay Science

info@bayscience.nz

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      GENERAL NEWS

• Day of AI Aotearoa New Zealand has launched, providing a suite of free resources for Year 5-10 classrooms.
  

• Climate Festival Pōneke 2026 is taking place at the start of Term 2 over three weeks. Check out their events here.
  

      EVENT FORECAST

Our full calendar is available here. More than half of our readers are from beyond the Bay of Plenty. Let us know how we can help promote your event.

Mar 16

• The Plastic Detox releases on Netflix (Netflix Documentary)

Mar 17

• Do Schools Need to Adapt Faster to a Warming World? (OECD International Webinar)

• ESSENZ Webinar: Level 3 Internal Assessments (register here)

Mar 18

• Kiwis in Climate Book Launch (Envirohub BoP)

• "Biodiversity in your Backyard" Talk & Plant Swap (Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries)

• AEC Webinar: The Economics of Education in Aotearoa with Shamubeel Eaqub (AEC)

Mar 19

• Winter Garden Prep (Ngāpeke Permaculture BoP)

• Seaweed Foraging Workshop (Sustainable Backyards BoP)

• Recycling Centre Tour (Rotorua Recycling Centre)

• UNESCO Climate Change Education and Youth Voices (Wellington)

• Afterschool Special: Completing the draft curriculum consultations (Aotearoa Educators Collective).

Mar 20

• Envirohub Clothing Swap Rotorua (Sustainable Backyards BoP)

• Pukehina Beach Clean-Up (Sustainable Backyards BoP)

Mar 21

• Envirohub Repair Cafe (Envirohub BoP)

• Guided Walks in Ōtanewainuku Forest (Sustainable Backyards BoP)

Mar 22

• Make Preserves from the Māra Kai (Sustainable Backyards BoP)

• Fermentation Workshop (Sustainable Backyards BoP)

Mar 23

• Stingrays — But They’re Everywhere, Why Should I Care? (Café Scientifique Tauranga)

Mar 24

• ESSENZ Webinar: Combining Level 2 and Level 3 courses (register here)

• Can we educate our way out of the climate crisis? (Hamilton public lecture with Prof. Chris Eames)

Mar 25

• Planning safe water-based experiences (EONZ Online event)

• Learning Bite: Foraging Kai (Para Kore online event)

• Growing spaces of belonging (NZAEE Webinar)

Mar 26

• Bay Science Cluster 1: The Draft Science Curriculum (Pāpāmoa)

• Envirohub Clothes Swap Tauranga (Envirohub BoP)

• Foraged-finds Fungi Craft Workshop (Fungi Fest NZ, Western BOP)

Mar 27

• Restoration Ramble at I’Anson Bush Reserve (register).

• Sustainability Film Festival (Mana Kai Mana Ora, Tauranga)

Mar 28

• Friends of the Bush Benefit Concert 2026 (Envirohub BoP)

• Flight of the Kōkako Trail Run (Paraiti Catchment Care Group)

• Take a Walk on the Wild Side - Tikitapu (DoC, Rotorua)

• MOTAT STEM Fair 2026 Auckland (MOTAT)

• Community Pest Plant Workshop (Maketū Ongatoro Wetland Society)

• Permaculture in Action: Grow a regenerative backyard (Soil and Soul Permaculture, Lower Kaimai).

Mar 29

• Fungi Fest Community Day 2026 (Envirohub BoP)

• Big Clean Project (across Rotorua)

• Crop Swap Tauranga (Envirohub BoP)

• Think Like a Forest movie screening (Western BoP)

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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 International Science Festival (15-19 July)

  
  

• 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 & EXPERIENCES

The following have been added to our Experiences page and Resources directory. Our Resources directory only saves items which are free and which do not require a login.

• An interactive viewer showing the active faults and deep structures in Aotearoa NZ. Best viewed on a computer (Geo3D); takes a few minutes to load.
  

  

  Screenshot from Geo3D showing active faults and structures in Aotearoa New Zealand.

• A free resource book of ideas, practicals, readings and printables developed by the Australian Science Teacher's Association for National Science Week 2026. Activities progress across various year levels around Big Ideas related to environmental health.
  

• George the Farmer is a fictional character featured in a series of books and educational resources. AgriHQ produces modern agricultural resources and projects for educators to use in their classrooms and lessons
  

• Marine Meter Squared has guides, interactive resources, downloadable workbooks and other educational aids to help you get the most out of your Marine Metre² experience.
  

• Royal Cam is a 24-hour live stream of a Northern Royal Albatross nest during the breeding season at Pukekura/Taiaroa Head on the southeast tip of New Zealand's South Island.
  

• An article from UNESCO about electronic waste which may help senior students who are investigating matter cycles.
  

• Coglabs from UNESCO is a 3D printable, old-smartphone-programmable, robot for accessible AI education.
  

      RANGATAHI OPPORTUNITIES

• Clash of the Colleges is a national agriculture and horticulture competition where secondary students compete in fast-paced, hands-on challenges designed to showcase the skills behind New Zealand’s food and fibre industries.
  

• Applications are now open for University of Auckland's Women in Engineering Holiday Camp.
  

• STEAM-ED Tauranga has published their April 2026 holiday programme
  

• Bricks 4 Kidz Tauranga have released their April 2026 holiday programme.
  

• Closing today: Applications for Blake Inspire 2026.
  

      KAIAKO OPPORTUNITIES

• Bay Science is hosting a free face-to-face meeting on March 26th to sift through the draft science curriculum. All those with an interest in science education are invited. Details and registration here.
  

• Earth and Space Science Educators NZ (ESSENZ) have released their 2026 PLD schedule.
  

• Growing Spaces of Belonging (March 25th 3:30 - 4:30 pm) is a free webinar by the New Zealand Association of Environmental Education (NZAEE).
  

• The Otago Science Teachers Association (OSTA) have announced a range of free Easter holiday PLD workshops.
  

  • Wednesday 8th April: Y12-13 Botany Skills

  • Thursday 9th April: Y13 BioChem, Digests and PCR

  • Friday 10th April: Y12-13 Squid dissection and salmon physiology

  • Saturday 11th April: Y12-13 Marine sciences and M2 videography

  • Sunday 12th April: Bioinformatics

  • Monday 13th April: Marine Science behavioural analyses.

    
    

    All events hosted by Otago University. Get in touch with Mel Christian, the OSTA representative: mchristian@taieri.school.nz
    

• Reminders

  • Nominations for the new Royal Society Te Apārangi Teaching Excellence Award (STEM) are now open. Closes March 31st.

      EDUCATION ASSOCIATION UPDATES

This month's updates are available here. New changes for the week are below.

• Aotearoa Educators Collective

  • A new article by Trevor Bills, Equality of Opportunity
    

  • AEC welcomes people that would like to submit a piece for their substack between March and June. Topics of interest include: curriculum, assessment and NCEA, learning support, ECE and charter schools. Anyone interested can contact hello@aec.org.nz

• ESSENZ

  • ESSENZ has released their 2026 webinar programme.

      SCIENCE CURRICULUM

• Phase 5 of the science curriculum will be released in May-June; this has been included in our science curriculum timeline. Bay Science will be regularly updating this timeline as new information becomes available.
  

• 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

• A range of career opportunities are currently available at NZQA, including moderator roles for various subjects.
  

• Reminders:

  • NZQA has published National Moderator's reports for 2026. The reports give 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.

• The Australian Science Teacher's association have published a position paper, seeking to address the misrepresentation of inquiry-based and explicit teaching as opposing approaches in science education. The paper also includes explanations of terms such as Direct Instruction.
  

• The Recolonisation of the New Zealand Curriculum in 2025 (Dr Therese Ford and Bruce Jepsen Te Akatea Inc.) presents reflections of the evolution of the New Zealand Curriculum.
  

• The OECD Skills Outlook 2025 examines how countries can build the 21st-century skills needed to sustain growth and social progress (OECD Webinar)
  

• A media release by NZEI Te Riu Roa; Government attacks teachers and their collective decision to fight for what they’re worth
  

• Our Changing World: Iwi-led conservation in the Kaimai Mamuku ranges (RNZ)
  

• The Kākāpō Files podcast is back with what’s set to be the biggest breeding season of all time for the world’s favourite parrot (RNZ).

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How much opportunity does the draft science curriculum provide for student agency and action?

• 0%A lot
• 0%Some
• 0%Very little
• 0%Not sure

Findings from previous informal polls

• 56% of readers are not trialling or implementing the draft science curriculum, in Term 1 2026
  

• 88% of readers would like General Science to be a subject in Year 12 and 13
  

• 86% of readers have major concerns about the draft science learning area
  

• 75% of readers think that the pace of the science curriculum changes feels too fast 
  

• 94% of readers think that the Nature of Science should be explicitly taught in the science curriculum 
  

• 83% of readers do not think that draft science curriculum adequately prepares students for a world shaped by AI, climate change and global uncertainty.
  

• 67% of readers believe the science curriculum refresh process is not working well.

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The Briefing is Bay Science’s weekly email newsletter for anyone interested in the latest developments in science education. Subscribe below to receive each edition.

Bay Science is a noticeboard for science education news and events across Aotearoa New Zealand, helping educators and community members across the country. If your organisation has a kaupapa, event, or opportunity to share with the science education community, we’d love to share it.