BAY SCIENCE

Connecting Science Educators

View from Pāpāmoa Hills Regional Park

Latest News

Students working in a school garden as part of a sustainability and climate resilience project supported by the School Sustainability and Resilience Fund in the Bay of Plenty.

School Sustainability and Resilience Fund | Bay of Plenty Schools

The School Sustainability and Resilience Fund supports Bay of Plenty schools, kura, and early learning services to deliver sustainability, climate change, and resilience projects through participatory funding.

NATIONAL PĀNUI

A bee pollinating a Manuka flower at Pāpāmoa Hills Regional Park, captured by Lian Soh in 2025.

NZAEE Webinar: Sustainability Education in Secondary Schools

Otago Polytechnic | New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture (Level 3)

Laptop screen displaying the Pūtaiao draft curriculum within Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, showing the official release of the refreshed science learning area for consultation.

Pūtaiao | Draft Te Marautanga o Aotearoa released for consultation

Climate Ambassador Programme 2026

TENZ Wednesday Webinar graphic for “STEAM Learning in Nature” with presenter Kimberley Sullings, 28 January, 4–5pm.

TENZ Wednesday Webinar: STEAM Learning in Nature

Laptop displaying updated NCEA Achievement Standards and assessment materials on the New Zealand Curriculum website, highlighting curriculum and assessment changes for 2026

Reviewed Achievement Standards and assessment materials published for 2026

Ōtautahi Christchurch landscape reflecting regeneration and renewal, host city of the SCANZ Conference 2026

SCANZ Conference 2026 | Regeneration: building a science-informed future

Ngahere plant leaves showing insect damage, used to explore plant health and ecological interactions in rongoā Māori learning

Rongoā Māori Workshops 2026 | Titoki Education

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BAY OF PLENTY PĀNUI

School Sustainability and Resilience Fund | Bay of Plenty Schools

Aerial view of Mount Main Beach during Seaweek, showing a large circular sand art design created for the TMBC March Partners Forum 2026, highlighting marine biosecurity, biodiversity, and community connection in Tauranga Moana.

TMBC Partners Forum Seaweek 2026

Fungi Fest Community Day 2026

Kai Rotorua invites everyone to a hands-on Food Forest Planting Day this Labour Weekend, a relaxed day of learning, growing, and connecting through values that restore balance between people and papatūānuku.

Growing Skills, Sharing Spaces: Two February Gardening Workshops at Kai Rotorua

Te Arawa Catfish Killas

Aerial view of Mauao (Mount Maunganui) with promotional text for the Mauao Trust Raumati Volunteer Activation 2025–2026, encouraging community volunteers to support kaitiakitanga and care of the maunga during summer.

Raumati Volunteer Activation | Caring for Mauao with Mauao Trust

Think Globally. Act Locally

Looking for a fun, outdoor holiday programme for your tamariki? Join Aongatete Outdoor Education Centre for the Enviro-kids holiday programme!

Enviro-kids Holiday Programme | January 2026

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RANGATAHI OPPORTUNITIES

KAIAKO OPPORTUNITIES

School Sustainability and Resilience Fund | Bay of Plenty Schools

Otago Polytechnic | New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture (Level 3)

Climate Ambassador Programme 2026

Enviro-kids Holiday Programme | January 2026

More Rangatahi Opportunities

NZAEE Webinar: Sustainability Education in Secondary Schools

Join the NZAEE Sustainability Education Webinar on February 11, 2026, to explore curriculum updates, essential resources, and networking opportunities that will strengthen sustainability education in secondary schools across Aotearoa.

NZAEE Webinar: Sustainability Education in Secondary Schools

TENZ Wednesday Webinar: STEAM Learning in Nature

ChemEd Biolive 2026

Expressions of Interest for Tirotiro Anō Panel – Report on the Proposal to Change the National Qualification

More Kaiako Opportunities

ASSOCIATION PĀNUI

This month's educator association updates, as well as sentiments from the wider sector.

Educator Association Updates | January and February 2026

Your monthly live update from our local association representatives: BEANZ, NZASE, ESSENZ, KEA, NZAEE, SCENZ, TKRA, NZAPSE, HATA, NZIP

Educator Association Updates | January and February 2026

Open Letter: He Rau Ringa - The Joint Subject Associations of Aotearoa New Zealand

England's Knowledge Rich Curriculum: Lessons for Aotearoa New Zealand

ESSENZ: Draft Science Curriculum Survey Results

More Association Updates

KAIAKO HIGHLIGHT

Kaiako Highlight: Jim Critchley

Jim Critchley is an Earth and Space Science educator who thrives on creating those chance encounters that open doors for students. Whether it’s connecting learners with industry, organising field trips that make science tangible, or guiding rangatahi to think critically in an information-rich world, Jim’s teaching is about sparking curiosity and showing how science and technology evolve together.

Kaiako Highlight: Whaea Tania Jackson

Introducing Whaea Tania Jackson, a secondary school kaiako of science and te reo Māori, and an emerging curriculum leader in kaupapa Māori. Her mahi spans both the classroom and the wider community, where she plays a pivotal role in the Tauranga Moana Māori Teachers’ Association.

Kaiako Highlight: Sky Smale

Meet Sky Smale, an educator, artist, and environmental advocate involved with the Kaharoa Kōkako Trust and Paraiti Catchment Care Group.

SCIENCE IN ACTION

Te Reo o Te Repo was created to give voice to our wetlands through the voices of our people, raising awareness of wetland values and restoration from a Te Ao Māori perspective. Tuihonoa Te Reo o Te Repo was developed in response to kaiako who wanted to support ākonga to become kaitiaki of their local repo. Yvonne with fellow co-editors, Cheri van Schravendijk-Goodman and Dr Bev Clarkson. Source: Image supplied, © Yvonne Taura

Scientist Highlight: Yvonne Taura

Freshwater ecologist Yvonne Taura (Ngāiterangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Uenuku, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) didn’t always see herself in science. Now her mahi is reshaping how kaiako, kairangahau, and communities think about wetlands, mātauranga Māori, and the purpose of science education in Aotearoa.

Lizzie Thompson conducting a diving survey as part of her marine science research.

Scientist Highlight: Lizzie Thompson | Marine Science

Marine scientist Lizzie Thompson is exploring how marine ecosystems recover after disruption. Find out how her work at Otāiti/Astrolabe Reef can support real-world science learning in your classroom—and what it’s really like to do fieldwork beneath the waves!

Juliet Linzmeier, a Master of Environmental Science student at Tauranga's Coastal Marine Field Station, is helping lay the groundwork for New Zealand’s emerging seaweed aquaculture industry. Our first Scientist Highlight aims to broaden the scope of curriculum and NCEA with real-world research examples, as well as capture researcher perspectives of what led them into STEM careers.

Scientist Highlight: Juliet Linzmeier | Marine Science

Juliet Linzmeier, a Master of Environmental Science student at Tauranga's Coastal Marine Field Station, is helping lay the groundwork for New Zealand’s emerging seaweed aquaculture industry. Our first Scientist Highlight aims to broaden the scope of curriculum and NCEA with real-world research examples, as well as capture researcher perspectives of what led them into STEM careers.