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Education and outreach - Annual Report 2025
23 May, 2026
Education and outreach remain at the heart of our kaupapa, connecting people of all ages with science, technology and mātauranga Māori.
Our 2025 programme has built bridges between research and community, offering practical, hands-on activities informed by both Māori science and Western science.
Tāwhaki hosted outreach session – Rulon Nutira and Julian Phillips (Tāwhaki), with Pauline Harris and Kirsty Doyle
As part of Whakarewarewa's Winter Series, our team - Director Professor Nicola Gaston, Deputy Director Māori Professor Pauline Harris, Emeritus Investigator Diane Bradshaw and Strategic Manager Māori Kirsty Doyle - spent a day with local kaimahi, sharing stories about the Institute's research and its relevance to sustainable innovation. Participants built solar-powered model marae and hydrogen-fuelled cars, learning how renewable energy technologies can be woven with community values. The enthusiasm and warmth of the Whakarewarewa team made this exchange both joyful and inspiring.
In Ōtautahi Christchurch, we partnered with the Paihau-Robinson Research Institute, the Society of Māori Astronomy Research and Traditions (SMART) and Kia Whitingia Energy Collective, for an outreach event hosted by the Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre. Rangatahi from local schools rotated through immersive STEMMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Mātauranga Māori) stations: exploring Māori astronomy inside the SMART planetarium dome, experimenting with superconducting trains and launching bottle rockets. Discovery Scholars and our researchers facilitated the sessions, inspiring curiosity and confidence among our potential next generation of scientists and innovators.
Through these connections, we are not only building future capability but also shaping a more inclusive and values-driven science ecosystem for Aotearoa and beyond.
Juliet Nelson demonstrating the hydrogen car activities
Another collaborative effort by Pauline Harris, Kirsty Doyle, Juliet Nelson (PhD student) and Tohunga Ockie Simmonds, a respected member of the Society of Māori Astronomy Research and Traditions (SMART), was for a community-focused science engagement event in and around Raetihi in collaboration with the Paihau-Robinson Research Institute (including with PhD student Tane Butler). The group engaged with over 150 participants, including tamariki and rangatahi from local schools, as well as whānau and community members ranging from pēpi to kaumātua. Inside the inflatable SMART Dome, participants toured the night sky, learning about stars, planets and celestial movements. A series of hands-on physics activities encouraged curiosity, confidence and a deeper appreciation of how science connects to everyday life.
Inspiring our next generations is key to developing the future workforce in STEMMM. By weaving mātauranga Māori and hands-on science together, we nurture curiosity, creativity and confidence in our rangatahi - helping them see themselves as scientists, innovators, and knowledge holders. Through these connections, we are not only building future capability but also shaping a more inclusive and values-driven science ecosystem for Aotearoa and beyond.
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