Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Local Focus: STEM Curiosity Day building future scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians

Gavin Ogden
By Gavin Ogden
Video Journalist, Tauranga, NZH Local Focus·NZ Herald·
11 Dec, 2020 10:43 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Getting kids to solve problems "from the ground up". Made with funding from NZ On Air.

It was a day out of the classroom for more than 700 Bay of Plenty students from 12 schools around the region.

The aim of STEM Curiosity Day is to participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics challenges.

"Our STEM Curiosity Day is the first of its kind to be done in New Zealand," organiser Tia Lush said.

"What's unique about it is that we're allowing lots of different schools to take part in one day while they are still being able to participate safely in their own locations."

Tauranga-based charity STEM Wana is behind the event, which offers opportunities in STEM subjects through community-based events like this.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We have given our schools and locations eight different STEM activities to take part in for the morning session. And in the afternoon, they're going to build a Rube Goldberg simple machine which allows them to use all the skills they've learnt in the morning to enable them to deliver on an amazing engineering, scientific, technology feat in the afternoon," Lush said.

Tapping into their curiosity at such a young age can open doors to future careers some won't have even considered.

"STEM is already all around us and our young people and community are already doing Stem but they just don't realise it.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"This is a way of opening their eyes to new possibilities and opportunities, and allowing them to see themselves doing Stem in a fun way, which will hopefully encourage them to be the future scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians."

One local teacher says events like this provide valuable learning experiences.

"It's student-orientated, so the students get to do the tasks instead of watching a teacher do the tasks," ACG Tauranga physics teacher Brent Smith said.

"Traditionally, Year 6 and 7 students, who are about 12 years old, don't have a lot of exposure to STEM experiences. They learn stuff from text books or they have very high literacy or numeracy development but they don't necessarily learn to think about problems from the ground up."

Discover more

New Zealand

Local Focus: Emergency services food run a success

03 Dec 12:58 AM
New Zealand

Local Focus: 'I just felt helpless' - Whakaari tour guide shares his story for the first time

08 Dec 04:00 PM
New Zealand

Local Focus: 'The hardship has got harder'

20 Dec 06:13 PM
New Zealand

Local Focus: V8 Trike Tours to make up lost ground in Rotorua

24 Dec 02:30 AM

That's where the STEM Curiosity Day comes into play.

"Some of them are being challenged to use skills that they didn't know they had, and the beaming smiles and excitement they have when they are able to solve a challenge that other people can't, just really lights that passion for engineering and technology," Smith said.

The charity recently opened a "STEM HQ" in Tauranga where students of all ages can sample the world of Stem for free.

"STEM Wana's mission is to create a new generation of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians through innovative and creative STEM engagement," Lush said.

Made with funding from

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

NZ e-bike brand shines at Eurobike global showcase

02 Jul 03:13 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Woman dies after crash on Tauranga Eastern Link

02 Jul 01:22 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Wet, wet, wet: Rain warning for BoP as more tropical weather looms

01 Jul 11:38 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

NZ e-bike brand shines at Eurobike global showcase

NZ e-bike brand shines at Eurobike global showcase

02 Jul 03:13 AM

Velduro says its e-bikes were the talk of the event in Frankfurt.

Woman dies after crash on Tauranga Eastern Link

Woman dies after crash on Tauranga Eastern Link

02 Jul 01:22 AM
Wet, wet, wet: Rain warning for BoP as more tropical weather looms

Wet, wet, wet: Rain warning for BoP as more tropical weather looms

01 Jul 11:38 PM
'I love what I do': Hospital cleaner, 83, marks 50-year work anniversary

'I love what I do': Hospital cleaner, 83, marks 50-year work anniversary

01 Jul 09:02 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP