Ōtautahi kaiako shares their BLAKE journey
I first heard of the BLAKE NZ-VR programme at BLAKE Inspire for Teachers that I was fortunate enough to attend in September 2022. The whole Inspire programme was inspirational in the way it supported the development of new understandings, interwoven with practical...
Two weeks with BLAKE’s 2023 NIWA Freshwater Ambassador
Kia ora, I’m Grace - a Master’s of Science graduate from the Waikato. As this year’s NIWA freshwater representative for the BLAKE Ambassadorship programme, I got to take a peek at some of the key research projects taking place within NIWA’s aquatic pollution...
Tales of a Sub-Antarctic explorer
Westpac representative Kate Archer went on the adventure of a lifetime – she joined a BLAKE Expedition to the sub-Antarctic’s with BLAKE and the Royal New Zealand Navy. Now back from her adventure, Kate shares her experience with us. After three years of planning, my...
BLAKE Explorers – a look into BLAKE’s newest programme.
Tūrangawaewae is the Māori concept of place. It means standing place (tūranga) and feet (waewae); and is translated as 'a connection to the place you stand, a sense of belonging'. This concept is the foundation for BLAKE’s newest programme, BLAKE Explorers. BLAKE...
Update from Lucy Davidson – BLAKE’s 2023 GNS Antarctic ambassador
This past summer I had the incredible opportunity to spend six weeks in Antarctica, spending a month undertaking fieldwork in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. I was working alongside worldclass researchers trying to solve some of the countless uncertainties attached to our...
Four weeks in the Fiordlands with BLAKE GNS Science Ambassador Nicole Cameron
Moody clouds and mist slowly sift through the bush as small rain showers pass through Dusky Sound. The water is still, reflecting the mountains encircling our small vessel, the Polaris II. The mountains stand stoically, marked with rugged outcrops and bush-caped...
Reconstructing past environments
Motu Ihupuku, Campbell Island, remote and rugged, this uninhabited Sub Antarctic Island lies 700 km south of Te Waipounamu - New Zealand’s South Island. Campbell Island is home to a diverse abundance of unique wildlife, including six species of albatross, endemic...
Inspiring the future of Aotearoa through BLAKE Inspire
Together with the Ministry for the Environment, in 2022 we supported over 120 young people through our BLAKE Inspire programmes! In April and October, we brought our delegates to the Waikato region where they experienced opportunities to learn more about freshwater...
BLAKE presents NZ-VR at the Halberg Games South in Ōtautahi
The Halberg Foundation held their Halberg Games South 2022 on October 1st in Ōtautahi. This regional Halberg Games festival saw young people aged 8-21 years with a physical or visual impairment take part in a variety of sports on offer from those giving it a go, to...
Alice travels to Whenua Hou to help with the Kākāpō Recovery Programme
Earlier this year, Alice, our Head of Discovery Programmes and resident ‘bird nerd’ at BLAKE got the opportunity to visit Whenua Hou Codfish Island and assist in the Kākāpō Recovery programme. Kākāpō (Māori for ‘night parrot’) are nocturnal, flightless, and perhaps...
Students at Clevedon School inspired by NZ-VR
In August this year, the NZ-VR team presented their programme at Clevedon School, in Tāmaki Makaurau. Our lesson inspired their students to develop some lyrics and present it to the VR team during lunch break. Below is a copy of the lyrics and follow this link to a...
Catch up with Deirdre van der Linden, 2021 Inspire for Teachers alumni
“Place based education; begin where your feet are, where you are standing. Get to know this place first and then spread out into the world.”- Professor Wally Penetito Deirdre van der Linden, a teacher at Weymouth Primary School, is using the above quote as...