Working with schools
We engage with schools in many ways including providing assistance with learning programmes and visiting schools to share information about study here.
Outreach programmes
Our outreach programmes support existing curriculum in schools and encourage young people to pursue tertiary study.
Business
The Wellington School of Business and Government provides a range of resources for commerce teachers to help transition students into university and further their own professional development.
You can also organise a field trip to the Business School that takes in Wellington’s sites of business and government.
Chinese language and culture
The University's Confucius Institute works to promote Chinese language and culture in New Zealand. The Institute actively assists schools in several ways including:
- the Mandarin Language Assistants (MLAs) programme which places native-speaking language support in local classrooms
- running Discover China! cultural days in schools
- funding a school principals’ delegation and numerous school trips to China each year
- providing language proficiency tests and other programmes.
Engineering and computer science
Our Wellington Faculty of Engineering runs an active school outreach programme in engineering and computer science that provides teachers and students with resources and information.
We also provide professional development to teachers in digital technology and technical support in using robotics and physical computing in their classroom practice. Each year we run a three-day Digital Technology conference called Computer Science 4 High Schools (CS4HS) which focuses on applying the digital technology curriculum and enhancing teacher capability. Contact pravin.vaz@vuw.ac.nz for more information.
History
History staff from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, with the Wellington Area History Teachers’ Association, run an annual Year 13 Day for final-year high-school students. This is usually held in late August or early September.
Find out more about the programme—including the themes covered and how to register your interest—on the School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations website.
Māori
The University’s Māori and Pasifika support service—Te Rōpū Āwhina Whānau—offers an outreach programme for schools and community groups. Āwhina runs a range of fun activities during the year that schools can tap into such as 'Tuhono i te Ao' which combines science with Māori and Pacific culture.
Music
The New Zealand School of Music (NZSM) has many school outreach activities that include an Indonesian gamelan workshop for school groups, open rehearsals, and free tickets for school students to NZSM events.
Email nzsmevents@vuw.ac.nz to find out more about these events.
Science
The University’s science outreach programme supports science education in schools throughout the country.
Our staff and students visit classrooms to share their research and enhance learning. We also provide free online curriculum-linked resources and data sets to support science education at all levels.
The Wellington Faculty of Science holds an annual open day for high school students, and visits schools up and down the country to talk to senior students about preparing for study at Victoria University of Wellington.
Geography, Environment and Earth Science
School of Geography, Environment and Earth Science staff members can visit your school to talk about a range of topics, which are detailed on the School's website. You can also find blog posts and videos of several scientific cruises that have examined New Zealand’s sea, seafloor, and below.
Antarctica
Staff and students at the Antarctic Research Centre give talks to schools. Find a range of other resources, including videos and images, on their website.
Chemistry and Physics
The School of Chemical and Physical Sciences offers outreach educational programmes in Chemistry and Physics. These provide students with opportunities to visit the University and experience the excitement of experimental Chemistry and Physics at university level. More information and resources are available on the School’s website.
We also have some Physics resources for speakers of Te Reo Māori available.
Other outreach activities
Individual departments sometimes run other one-off outreach events or activities. To find out whether the University offers any outreach activities in the subject you are interested in, contact the individual faculty or school.