House of Science NZ

06/10/2026

Kia ora teachers! Looking for science support?
Join us online next week for a free webinar on science curriculum support for primary schools, with the Science Learning Hub, Science Alive and House of Science.
We’ll showcase the resources, learning opportunities and classroom support available to schools, plus simple ways to access them. It’s aimed at primary and intermediate teachers, and open to any school leaders who want to back science in their school.
🗓️ Thursday 15 October, 4pm – 4:45pm on Teams.
Register here: https://us.list-manage.com/TlJlK2D6zGS
It’s free, online and just 45 minutes, so why not join us?

28/09/2026

September is Wills Month. If you’re writing or updating your will, we’d love you to consider leaving a gift to House of Science. Big or small, a bequest helps us do more for tamariki across Aotearoa. Find out how: houseofscience.nz/support-us/bequests

16/09/2026

We're celebrating the taonga that is te reo this Māori Language Week – Te Wiki o te Reo Māori ⬛🟥⬜
It's a chance to celebrate a language that's central to Aotearoa's identity, history and future – and keep it thriving in everyday places like our kura.
Did you know all House of Science kits are bilingual? Designed so that tamariki can see their reo reflected in the science they're learning. Every student resource and teaching manual we produce is presented in both English and te reo Māori.
It's one small way to help normalise te reo Māori in everyday classroom life, not just during one week of the year. It also means tamariki learning in Māori medium settings, like kura kaupapa Māori, have a resource that speaks their language too.
We're proud to be part of that journey. However big or small, we encourage everyone to give te reo a go this week – even just a kia ora or ka pai goes a long way.
Kia kaha te reo Māori 🙌

09/09/2026

New Zealand's science scores have gone up for the first time in almost twenty years.
Results for the 2025 OECD PISA – a global academic assessment of 15-year-olds – were released this week showing NZ’s science scores rose from 504 to 509 points, whilst overall performance across the OECD continues to slide.
The best part was that our students from the lowest socio-economic backgrounds improved so much, it's the equivalent of an extra year of science learning (meanwhile, the most advantaged students stayed pretty much the same).
PISA tests 15-year-old students every four years, and these latest results relate to the first group of 15-year-olds who’ve potentially had access to House of Science kits since day one of their schooling.
Correlation is not causation; we’ll leave the firm conclusions to the researchers. But it’s certainly a coincidence we're happy with.
The improvement may be small, but it's a step in the right direction. Congratulations to the teachers, schools and students who made it happen!

02/09/2026

Mike's still on track with his 91-day challenge – and the latest update says donations so far have been a huge motivator 💪 We're halfway through the challenge timeline, but only a small way towards the fundraising target. Chip in below to help him keep going! 👇

Fundraiser time! Meet Mike, a House of Science board director on a 91-day mission to turn his blood test results around.
After a routine health check confirmed it's time for a change, Mike set up a fundraiser on Givealittle to help him stick to his diet and exercise regime for at least 91 days, so he’ll have better blood test results when his 47th birthday rolls around.
The funds are going towards a fitting cause – House of Science's 'Food for Thought' kit, which gets students exploring the chemistry of everyday food and more sustainable food choices.
Follow his progress on the Givealittle page and chip in if you can 👇
https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/the-mirror-doesnt-lie
Pictured here with Mike is his most enthusiastic supporter, Charlie, who never lets him skip his daily steps.

26/08/2026

Got pāua shells? This one’s for you!
Pāua shells are seldom thrown away – with such a gorgeous shimmer, people tend to keep them for jewellery, crafts or garden pieces. Now there’s an even better way to repurpose them – helping to educate Kiwi kids about the importance of measurement 📏🔬
We welcome donations of pāua shells for our science kit ‘Measurement Matters / Te Whakahirahira o te Inenga’. It explores different types of measurement and why it matters, including an exercise on how to correctly measure shellfish.
Your donations can help foster the skills to catch a feed rather than a fine, and educate the next generation on keeping New Zealand fisheries sustainable 🎣🌊
Got shells to spare? 📧 Email [email protected] – we'll arrange collection, or you can drop them at your nearest House of Science regional centre.

24/08/2026

Calling all recycling hoarders! And anyone with a pottle to spare. We’re still after your recycling, especially PS 6 (like yoghurt pottles) and PP 5 (like ice cream containers). We’re also super keen for any HDPE 2 recycling (apart from milk bottles) like shampoo bottles and detergent bottles.
Your recycling bin's loss could be a classroom’s gain! ♻️Get in touch below to arrange drop-off or collection ➡️

Your rubbish could be tomorrow's science lesson 🗑️➡️🔬
Science kits are rolling off the production line in our effort to reach every primary and intermediate school in Aotearoa. But some items, like dead butterflies and certain types of recycling, can't just be bulk-ordered from a supplier. Here's where you can help.
For our ‘A Load of Rubbish / He Pūtunga Para’ kit, we're especially after:
🥛 HDPE 2 – shampoo/conditioner bottles, juice bottles, milk jugs, laundry & dish soap jugs.
🍦 PP 5 – ice cream tubs, takeaway containers, medicine bottles, etc.
🥣 PS 6 – plastic cutlery, yoghurt pottles, sour cream containers, dip containers, etc.
♻️ Plus: glass jars with lids, small cardboard boxes, tetra paks, egg cartons, and cardboard rolls.
Anything clean is welcome – so long as it's not too big (think smaller than a 1.5L bottle) and preferably with the lid included.
To arrange collection or drop off, email: [email protected] 📧

23/08/2026

The season is turning and spring is stirring 🌱🌸
The science of seasonal change is all around us as trees blossom, daffodils sprout, and lambs begin to drop 🐑🐑
Meet Tommy and Sophie, two brand-new twin lambs born recently to a very proud mum, Bubba, owned by an equally proud Sandra Kirikiri, our Manager for Corporate Services & Strategic Growth. Naturally, we just had to share some snaps! 😍
The pair are already bright-eyed and steady on their feet, exploring the paddock but never straying far from Mum.
It just goes to show that frost or not, biology's on schedule as spring fast approaches. Nature's timing is science in action ⏰🧬🌿

19/08/2026

Critical mass achieved! 🎉 It was a full house last week with staff from around the country gathering for our national conference in Tauranga. Regional managers, science advisors and support office staff got together for 3 days of sharing ideas, comparing notes, and reconnecting with why we do this ✏️🧑‍🤝‍🧑🌟
Our team has grown rapidly this year as part of an effort to reach every public primary school and intermediate school in the country, so it was a great chance for our new (and not-so-new) crew to get together, put faces to names, and regroup around one goal: bringing hands-on science to tamariki across Aotearoa 🇳🇿
A brilliant few days proving that the whole really is greater than the sum of its parts 🤝✨