NZ Scholarship exams are designed to challenge some of New Zealand’s highest-achieving secondary students beyond the demands of NCEA. Many teachers wonder whether they have the time, expertise or resources to support NZ Scholarship students effectively. In this article, an experienced Scholarship Physics teacher, a Biology teacher new to Scholarship coaching, and a recent Scholarship […]
Read More
For more than two decades, University of Waikato Honorary Fellow Dr Alison Campbell has been helping Year 13 students prepare for one of New Zealand’s toughest science assessments: NZ Scholarship Biology. Through online workshops, resources and a nationwide community of learners, she has helped students develop a more overarching approach to learning about Biology. But […]
Read More
Entries have opened for the NZIC Analytical Chemistry Competition to be held at the University of Waikato on 16 June 2026. First team entries close on 22 May 2026. More information | Entry form For one day, school science labs are swapped for specialised equipment at the University of Waikato, as Year 13 students race […]
Read More
To celebrate New Zealand Music Month, we chat to two educators bringing tunes into the classroom. Musician and teacher Tom McFadden creates raps about the inner workings of science, while teacher Emily Hall uses science songs to inspire her students. It was the ’90s, and the hallways of C. K. McClatchy High School in Sacramento—where […]
Read More
Agribusiness is shedding its reputation as simply a pathway into farming. Today, students are combining science and business to discover diverse primary-sector careers. National Agribusiness Advisor Melanie Simmons chats with NZASE writer Ceana Priest about how the $62 billion industry offers pathways students may never have considered. For Melanie Simmons, the line that clinched her […]
Read More
Science lives in the everyday — yet sometimes it gets delivered by folks in yellow t-shirts, knee-high socks and big grins who emerge from a van crammed with unexpected objects. Since 2011, the founders of Science in a Van, Emily and Alan Worman, have made over 1,500 visits to schools, early childhood centres, museums, libraries […]
Read More
Artificial Intelligence can be a powerful classroom ally, says teacher and AI educator Benny Pan — but only if humans remain at the heart of it. Benny shares his journey from clinical pharmacy to teaching with science communicator Ceana Priest. Benny Pan’s fascination with machine learning began in an unexpected place — watching artificial intelligence […]
Read More
Far from being just road grime, bug splatters on licence plates are unlocking clues about insect biodiversity in Aotearoa. University of Auckland geneticists Dr Aimee van der Reis and Dr Richard O’Rorke chat to science communicator Ceana Priest about DNADRV—a citizen science project demonstrating how simple car rides can lead to scientific discoveries. The idea […]
Read More
AI is changing the way schools teach and students learn. University of Sydney Professor Danny Liu—a molecular biologist turned educator—chats to science communicator Ceana Priest about his career path to AI, and how it led him to create Cogniti, a platform that helps teachers “clone” themselves to better support student learning. Danny Liu’s journey into […]
Read More
Long before rulers, tape measures and the metric system, people relied on the most accessible tool they had—their bodies. Far from being rough guesses, these systems were practical, sophisticated and often exact. In Aotearoa, Māori developed intricate inenga (measurements) to guide the carving of waka, the construction of wharenui and the artistry of tā moko. […]
Read More