Creative young Hawke's Bay kids off to Texas for robotics competition

The Lucknow and Mayfair schools crew who sparked so well at the national robotics tournament.

For four Hastings young people, Texas awaits.

Their imagination, robotics skills and creative approach to building something unique, in educational and entertainment terms, has booked them a flight to Houston next year.

Khan Smith, Luca Te Whiu, Mary-Jane Richards and Josef Oostuizen took out the Grand Champion Award at the recent national robotics tournament in Auckland, one of three titles the collaborative Lucknow School and Mayfair School team returned home with.

The Minibots took the top award for Mechanical Design and the Blackbots took the Innovative Solution title, and then there was the Grand Champion title.

"Very exciting," Lucknow School principal Brendon White said.

"When that was announced they were just ecstatic — we're so proud of them."

What made the win even more special was that the four youngsters had moved on from their primary schools and to intermediate, so were asked to come together on Thursday evenings and Saturdays to create their project.

It sparked up after the Lucknow/Mayfair team Blackbots scored a runner-up spot at the Lego League International Open in California earlier this year, where they represented New Zealand, and teams attended national events here.

White said the call went out in August and the four ex-pupils responded, as they did not have access to robotics programmes at their new intermediate schools.

"It was great how they carried themselves and their project," White said, and what they created to get them to the big Houston Worlds event had already attracted plenty of interest — from the Hastings District Council and MP for Ikaroa Rawhiti Meka Whaitiri.

The team created a trail of local histories, legends and actual events that downloaded into games which could relate to those stories.

White said what they had done was "outstanding" and it had been presented to the district council who were also impressed and taking a close look at it.

Also impressed was Whaitiri who was quick to step up to the mark as the fundraising programme for the trip to the US was sparked up.

"Another outstanding outcome for our young people from both schools," she said.

"It is indeed something the Hastings and wider Hawke's Bay community should be proud of."

She then declared she would pledge $1000 to kickstart the fundraising journey.

All those who took part in the recent national robotics tournament were celebrated at a special gathering at Lucknow School earlier this week where the four Texas-bound crew showed and spoke about what they had created.

"What a talented bunch of tamariki we have in Hawke's Bay," White said, telling the visitors what the grand champions had created had the potential to tick several boxes.

Of teaching local stories and history, getting people active and engaged in their communities, connecting our important places and spaces as well as providing a clever resource for schools to use.