Discovery Day held at Pukeahu campus in Wellington

The participating children were aged between seven and 10 years, and are the first school group to visit the Pukeahu campus as part of the Wānanga Nohinohi Te Kunenga Children’s University programme.

After being welcomed on to campus by Senior Tutor Whetu Awatere, the students were taken through activities in different areas of the university.

The first activity was Spanish games and music with Senior Tutor Raquel Direnzo.

Following that, the students got hands-on experience in the Nursing Simulation Lab lead by Senior Tutor Andrea Thomson, where current Massey nursing students showed the tamariki how to use stethoscopes and hospital beds. The tamariki applied a glow-in-the-dark goo to their hands, washed it off and then looked at their hands under ultraviolet light to determine any spots their handwashing had missed.

The final activity was in the music studio where tamariki had great fun playing with special effects on the sound board to see how different settings for pitch, timing and echo changed their voices. They experimented with percussion instruments and even created their own piece of music.

Teacher Nada Otineru accompanied the group to campus, and said it was an inspiring day out for the children. “I believe it opened their eyes to what they could achieve if they work hard. Most of the children said they were going to go to university when they get older. Thank you to Children’s University for organising this trip for our children - we are looking forward to continuing next year.”

Student May said she learnt a lot during the campus visit. “We learnt a lot of things, such as Spanish, how to get rid of all your germs, how to work a hospital bed, how to make music, and much more. I had the funnest time there and really want to go again. My favourite activity was the music.”

Taita Central Primary School is the first school in the Wellington region to partner with Massey for the Children's University programme.

Background

Children’s University is a charity programme that supports and encourages young learners to participate in educational experiences outside the classroom. The programme identifies learning destinations where tamariki can explore, gain confidence, and develop a passion for learning. Massey is the only university in the North Island to offer the Children's University programme, which started in the United Kingdom in the 1990s.

To join the programme, tamariki apply through their participating school and once they’re enrolled, they receive their Passport to Learning. With their passports, tamariki can visit local learning destinations of their choice. Visits are recorded, and each entry is validated in their passports by the learning destinations.

They also get membership to an online portal with information about local destinations, along with a wealth of online activities for days they can’t get out and about. Once 30 hours or more are earned in their passports, tamariki receive a certificate at a graduation ceremony to celebrate their achievements. Massey Children’s University Wānanga Nohinohi Te Kunenga held its first graduation ceremony in December 2021.