GUESTS

After Christina England (Deputy Principal, Northcross Intermediate School) welcome our distinguished guests, staff from the various schools, parents and our award winners, Helen Haine welcomed Jonathon Tredray (Principal Northcross Intermediate School) and introduced our guest Dr Ian Longley (Principal scientist at NIWA). A warm welcome was also extended to Dr Debbie Jordan  (Chemistry Senior Lecturer, Massey University) and two of our sponsors,  Judy Peace (Peace Family), Bruce Morrison (Bruce Morrison Landscape  Surveyors), the awarding of the various medals began.

Our guest speaker, Dr Ian Longley presented a humorous, entertaining and thought-provoking talk to the audience. It was very well received by all.

The evening was, once again a great success where our budding young scientists have done something special. It took their time and inquiring mind to find out more about something that they may have seen or wondered about. Research, your own ideas and by engaging in the scientific process achieved a level of investigation that is being acknowledged here tonight. We hope that this will be the start of a life-long journey through science.

Two of our committee members were farewelled after many years of service. Julie Prince was presented with a plaque acknowledging more than 22 years of service. Colin Macdonald has been our chief judge for the past 7 years and he has decided now to retire from teaching. We thank both of them for their support and expertise knowledge.

The role of a science fair judge is challenging and at the same time rewarding.

As a judge you are given the unique opportunity not only to meet our budding young scientists but to also have a positive impact on the scientific lives of some of our very talented young people. Our judges come from schools, universities, industry, commerce and other institutions and we value the time and effort they give in support of us and our community.

Not only are our judges an ambassador for their respective professions but we hope they may well influence career choices of the students.

It is my pleasure to report as co-convenor on the 2023 NIWA North Harbour Science and Technology Fair.

This year the students once again produced thought-provoking, high-quality science and technology projects. To complete such projects takes creativity, curiosity, commitment and perseverance. This requires support and encouragement of both parents and teachers and equates to many hours of dedication. We sincerely thank all the teachers and parents for this support. ln addition, we acknowledge the commitment of participating schools for supporting individual science investigations to take place as part of their rich and busy demands that curriculum and wider school life demand.

This year ten North Harbour schools participated in the Fair with a combined submission of 102 projects; 25 more than last year, and almost reaching pre-Covid levels. Schools fielded a complement of teachers for judging in the morning, assisted by judges from our sponsor companies and a small contingent of University students studying for Science and Engineering based degrees. A team of committee members and the Chief Judge then completed the afternoon moderation session. The open viewing session the following day had a large number of attendees.

We extend our deep gratitude for sponsorship from NIWA, the support of Massey University and North Harbour Middle Schools Principals group. Continuing to have the Science Fair treated like a zone day and be held during the school week gives recognition to science as an important part of the curriculum. Release of teachers on the day meant students felt supported, and the judging team was complete. We recommend that this continues next year. While the students waited for judging they enjoyed a morning of science talks and demonstrations. With this exposure to “real scientists’ it is hoped students will be inspired to choose a science-based career and pursue their curiosity in scientific fields. We greatly appreciate the time given by our speakers and demonstrators from Massey University.

The standard of entries has remained high, with particular strength in the increasingly important technology section. The projects confirm the Science and Technology capabilities being nurtured by schools where students are encouraged to pursue their curiosities through inquiries. Judges of this section were again particularly complimentary about the very high standard of entries. All the worlds including technology had a high number of projects entered. lt would be great to see more projects entered in Environmental category next year.

We would like to thank the many judges from education and industry who gave their time to the fair on the 1st of September.

A big thank you to Debbie Jordan from Massey University who liaised with my co-convenor Mike Wade to ensure the finer details of venue and speaker organisation. Judging involves both interviewing students and reading their projects. It was excellent to see an ESOL entry this year. Special thanks to our team of moderators who were led by our Chief Judge Colin McDonald. Thank you also to all the members of our committee who contributed towards a successful day.

We would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank our sponsors. Particular thanks goes to NIWA. Financially, the fair was possible again this year because of significant sponsorship from NIWA. The ongoing sponsorship by NIWA has been a significant boost to the fair, and we hope this collaboration will continue into the future. Thank you also to: Massey University, Auckland Science Teachers Association, 3M New Zealand, Bruce Morrison Quantity Surveyors, NZ Statistical Association and Statistics NZ, the Baking lndustry Research Trust, Ballance Agri-Nutrients, and the Peace family.

We would like to acknowledge and thank all the committee members this year for their hard work. I would like to especially acknowledge the dedication and many hours spent by my co-convenor Mike Wade. His considerable effort ensured this years’ fair went ahead successfully. Thank you, Mike.

Finally, we have two people who are retiring from their roles within the Fair that we would like to acknowledge and thank.  Firstly, our Chief Judge Colin McDonald who has been sharing his expertise and guidance with us since 2017. The depth of knowledge and rigour he brings to his role is hugely appreciated. I do not envy him the  difficult job he does so well and with such good humour.  Thank you, Colin.  The other person we acknowledge tonight is Julie Prince. She has worked tirelessly in a variety of roles within the Fair since the late 1990s, stepping down only last year from the co-convenor’s role. Julie has mentored many many of us through the years. Her passion, patience, and support of both teachers and students learning about what it takes to get the seed of an idea developed and then delivered as a finished project board at the fair have been invaluable to so many of us. Julie for your many decades of unwavering commitment to the Science Fair we thank you.

Helen Haine

Co-Convenor 2023