Microscopes have played an important role in recent research on harakeke (native New Zealand flax) at the University of Otago. Dr Bronwyn Lowe and other researchers have been working with Māori ...
In the early 20th century, New Zealand’s flax industry was a significant money earner, supplying fibre for the world’s rope and linen trade, but the advent of non-renewable synthetic fibres made ...
In October 2011, the Greek container ship MV Rena ran aground on Ōtāiti, also known as the Astrolabe Reef, off the coast of Tauranga. The oil spill resulted in the New Zealand’s worst maritime ...
In this activity, students learn about rongoā Māori (medicines that are produced from native plants in New Zealand) through a silent card game. By the end of this activity, students should be ...
In this activity, students use the Ake Ake model to explore changes that have taken place in their local environment in the last 50–100 years and to plan for the next 50 years. By the end of this ...
In this activity, students discuss the importance of observation in science. They are given the opportunity to observe harakeke and record their observations. It is important to seek knowledge ...
By comparing some features of fossilised plants with the same features of plants living today, scientists hope to be able to learn more about the effect of changing carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in ...
iNaturalist logs hundreds of thousands of photos of flora, fauna and fungi. There are even sound recordings too. Each is described and geo located. iNaturalist is used by citizens and scientists ...
With 75% of New Zealanders living within 10 km of the coast, many students will be familiar with estuaries. In scientific terms, estuaries are the interface between the land and the sea – the ...
The Science Learning Hub has a selection of resources that have been translated into te reo Māori and a number of resources that feature both te reo Māori and English. Our webinar Opportunities ...
This online PD session recorded on 19 May 2015 explores ideas for using the Science Learning Hub’s resources to introduce students to the wide range of science research carried out by New Zealand ...
Dr Bronwyn Lowe (University of Otago) worked with Māori weavers to explore the properties of different harakeke varieties. In this clip, Bronwyn explains how the weavers’ traditional knowledge ...
Dr Bronwyn Lowe (University of Otago) describes her use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to explore harakeke leaves. Bronwyn found that different harakeke varieties have differently ...
An important aspect of the government’s Long-Term Environmental Recovery Plan after the Rena disaster was to assess the impacts of the pollution and clean-up from a cultural perspective. A ...
Historical artefacts like moa bones can be dated using a technique that measures the activity of the radioisotope carbon-14 still present in the sample. By comparing this with a modern standard ...
An interactive that shows how early Māori used different fungi for food and medicine.
This interactive timeline highlights how students investigating the Oruarangi Stream engaged with the nature of science.
