{"id":6734,"date":"2025-09-06T21:47:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T21:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/6734\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T21:47:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T21:47:06","slug":"stemfest-in-tauranga-offers-free-family-friendly-science-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/6734\/","title":{"rendered":"STEMFest in Tauranga offers free family-friendly science fun"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">\u201cIt remains, by the number of visitors attending over one day, the biggest free community event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">The festival explores various subjects, including eGaming, robotics, aviation and marine science, through hands-on activities and interactive exhibits. <\/p>\n<p><img  alt=\" STEMFest has partnered with and received support from international organisations, including the US State Department and Nasa. Photo \/ STEMFest\" class=\"article-media__image responsively-lazy\" data-test-ui=\"article-media__image\"\/> STEMFest has partnered with and received support from international organisations, including the US State Department and Nasa. Photo \/ STEMFest<\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">Hebert said the event was free to ensure it remained inclusive and community-driven. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">\u201cAccessibility is at the heart of STEMFest. We believe every child and wh\u0101nau should have the opportunity to engage with STEM, regardless of background or income.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">The ultimate goal was to evolve it into a multi-day event that drew visitors and exhibitors from across New Zealand and the world. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">\u201cWhile we are focused on keeping the event rooted in community values and accessibility, we see huge potential for STEMFest to become a leading force for STEM engagement in the Southern Hemisphere and beyond,\u201d Hebert said. <\/p>\n<p><img  alt=\" In 2019, the Tauranga STEM Festival was recognised as an official Ada Lovelace Day Partner event, which is a global celebration honouring women in STEM. Photo \/ STEMFest\" class=\"article-media__image responsively-lazy\" data-test-ui=\"article-media__image\"\/> In 2019, the Tauranga STEM Festival was recognised as an official Ada Lovelace Day Partner event, which is a global celebration honouring women in STEM. Photo \/ STEMFest<\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">STEMFest ambassador Rebecca Drake, who grew up in Tauranga, said she wished she\u2019d had the opportunity to see science and technology as something fun and available to everyone, which STEMFest offered. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">In a media release, STEMFest organisers said they hoped to create an unforgettable experience for students and families. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">\u201cIt\u2019s a chance to ignite curiosity, spark wonder, and connect with the innovators who are shaping our future.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">Local scientists and engineers will run more than 50 exhibits and demonstrations. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">There will be hands-on workshops for all ages, educational activities, and inspirational talks and presentations from industry professionals. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">The festival will also promote STEM pathways and education programmes as part of its initiative to inspire the next generation of STEM professionals. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">The headline sponsor for this year\u2019s festival is Ballance Agri-Nutrients. Other sponsors include the University of Waikato, One.nz, Beca, Downtown Tauranga and Basestation. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">It also secured support from the Tauranga Western Bay Community Event Fund. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\"> About 10,000 attendees were expected. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">Visitors can sign up to secure free tickets at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stemfest.nz\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">www.stemfest.nz<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MFxmLElkspXO\" style=\"display:none\">Haley Doig is a journalism student from AUT interning at the Bay of Plenty Times. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cIt remains, by the number of visitors attending over one day, the biggest free community event of its&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6735,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8618,4975,8619,78,111,43,139,69,8617,147,8616,1227],"class_list":{"0":"post-6734","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-zealand","8":"tag-familyfriendly","9":"tag-free","10":"tag-fun","11":"tag-in","12":"tag-new-zealand","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-newzealand","15":"tag-nz","16":"tag-offers","17":"tag-science","18":"tag-stemfest","19":"tag-tauranga"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6734\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}