Over 80 entries from tamariki and rangatahi from across the Te Arawa rohe were on display to be judged and celebrated by Scientists and environmental experts at the three day Te Tūkohu Ngāwhā Science and Design Fair hosted at Motion Entertainment from 30th June - 2nd July.
The innovation, passion, creativity and knowledge on display was exceptional.
This joint venture between Te Arawa Lakes Trust and Bay of Plenty Regional Council created the mātauranga Māori science fair is believed to be the first of its kind, specifically targeting environmental issues through a te ao Māori lens.
All photo credits: Stephen Parker
There were five judging categories;
There were projects on pest control, restoring native species and creating habitats to improve biodiversity. The exhibits were top quality and the enthusiasm from the creators was inspirational - the future of our planet is in good hands!
A stand out exhibition by Alex Malcolm won the prestigious Supreme Award. Alex, a student at Mokia Intermediate School, spent several months going through his design and experimental process to use today's technology to photograph, identify and monitor the population of catfish in our waters.
Never before have we had so much science brilliance displayed in our function rooms. There was compost, water sample testing, catfish and even a real-life pest control dog as well as some amazing guest speakers and a heart-warming prizegiving to acknowledge the amazing work of all tamariki involved.
Aspen the pest fish detecting dog, with a fan from Lynmore School.
Helpful tips on how to safely greet a dog.
A massive congratulations to all involved, it was an absolute honor for us to host such brilliance. Keep working hard, we can't wait to see the display next year!
Full list of results:
Biosecurity category
3rd place - Lachlan Hoggard and Dane Napier, Rotorua Lakes High School
2nd place - Archie Graham, Giselle Yee, Vienna Ropotini, Koki Hara and Aurora Flay Bourkram, Lynmore School
1st place - Lachlan Hoggard, Rotorua Lakes High School
Biodiversity category
3rd place - Ellie Smith, Sophie Bell, Tegan Auld and Candice Chen, Lynmore School
2nd place - Calais Eru, Peter Hawkins, Moewhare Butler, KC Goodfellow and Dante Teka-Corbett, Kaitao School
1st place - Siwan Lloyd-Jones, Rotorua Lakes High School
Water Quality category
3rd place - Hunter Russell and Prince Ocana, Malfroy School
2nd place - Emma Pol, Rotorua Lakes High School
1st place - Liam Heighway, Rotorua Lakes High School
Mātauranga Maōri category
3rd place - Haylee Wilson and Lucas Howes, Kaitao School
2nd place - Jennika Kumar and Riley Cameron-Dyde, Malfroy School
1st place - Amelia Foote-Webb, Malfroy School
Sustainability Category
3rd place - Zayed Imtiyas, Malfroy School
2nd place - Christian Foote-Webb and James Collins, Malfroy School
1st place - Alexander Malcolm, Mokoia Intermediate
Recipient of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Te Mana o te Wai Enhancement Supreme Award: Liam Heighway
Recipient of the Scion Ngā Huarahi ki Te Ao Award: Alexander Malcolm
Recipient of the Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand Award for Excellence in a project focused on the whenua: Siwan Lloyd-Jones
Recipient of the Te Arawa Lakes Trust Ngā Karu Atua Supreme Award: Alexander Malcolm.
All photo credits: Stephen Parker
