Refurbishing traditional Māori dwellings
The government's National Strategic Plan for Science in Society, A Nation of Curious Minds, has seen a unique collaboration between students from Dawson Primary School in Auckland and engineers from Fisher & Paykel Healthcare. The aim is to manufacture the wētā house, a specialized shelter designed for native New Zealand wētā insects, for widespread distribution.
The project received funding through the South Auckland pilot of the Participatory Science Platform, an initiative that forms part of the Curious Minds initiative and is funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The wētā house redesign project is jointly led by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the Ministry of Education, and the Office of the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor.
The prototype wētā house is a flatpack design, weathertight, and dark to suit wētā's nocturnal habits. It boasts three rooms to accommodate wētā's social nature and is designed to allow scientists to gather frass (wētā droppings) without disturbing the occupants.
It's important to note that while Weta Workshop in Auckland offers creative workshops where participants can design and build miniature environments, these are fantasy or film-based projects rather than conservation-focused wētā housing. There is no mention in the sources about school students designing a wētā house specifically for research or conservation purposes.
The project was managed by COMET Auckland (Community Education Trust Auckland), demonstrating a commitment to fostering scientific curiosity and practical application among young minds. The wētā house project is a testament to the potential of collaborative efforts between educational institutions, industry, and government in promoting conservation and scientific research.
As the project progresses, it will be interesting to see how the wētā house design evolves and how it contributes to the understanding and conservation of these fascinating New Zealand insects.
Science and education-and-self-development intersect in the wētā house project, as students from Dawson Primary School collaborate with engineers, and the initiative is part of the Curious Minds initiative, funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The project, also supported by the Ministry of Education and the Office of the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor, aims to design and produce wētā houses for conservation purposes, fostering scientific learning among young minds.
