INTERFACE Online

INTERFACE Student Minecraft Competition 2026 Now Open!

Ready to dive into this year’s Minecraft challenge? Entries are now open for this year’s INTERFACE Student Minecraft Competition. The closing date is Friday 25 September (the end of Term 3)

We’ve teamed up again with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to bring you an awesome new mission for young builders and big thinkers!

The Challenge: ‘Forever Fisheries – From ocean to plate’

It’s your job to create a Minecraft world that helps New Zealand’s fisheries thrive. From ocean to plate, we want you to secure a better future!

The Marine Stewardship Council has also prepared teacher information and resources to support competition entry into this year’s competition.

The possibilities are huge and the choice is yours. Whatever you build, just make sure it’s ocean-friendly! Show us how your world protects and promotes marine life, and uses smart, sustainable practices.

More details and entry form at interfaceonline.co.nz/minecraft2026/

INTERFACE April 2026

INTERFACE Student Minecraft Competition 2026 Now Open! Ready to dive into this year’s Minecraft challenge? Entries are now open for this year’s INTERFACE Student Minecraft Competition. The closing date is Friday 25 September (the end of Term 3) W…

Is it time to refresh your digital knowledge?

AI, Cybersafety, Robotics, Interactive technology. If you’ve been meaning to sharpen your digital skills, explore practical classroom strategies, and connect with other educators navigating the same e-learning challenges – now’s the time to act!

Join us at INTERFACEXpo 2026 for a full day of hands-on workshops, inspiring sessions, and real conversations with educators looking for smarter ways forward. You’ll get:

✔ Fresh ideas you can use immediately
✔ Practical AI insights for your classroom
✔ Direct access to leading edtech providers
✔ Time to connect, share and recharge

Choose from three locations

Lincoln, Lincoln Event Centre, Thursday 7 May
Rotorua, Novotel Lakeside Hotel, Tuesday 12 May
Auckland, Waipuna Conference Centre, Thursday 14 May
FREE for school educators to attend

We understand there may be costs associated with travel or relievers BUT there is no charge to attend the event itself. Enjoy access to all presentations, workshops, the exhibition, networking opportunities, morning tea, lunch, giveaways, and more – all at no cost.

Don’t miss this outstanding PLD opportunity to explore current e-learning best practices and emerging technologies, so you can make informed choices and plan what’s next for your digital teaching future.

Book your place now at interfacexpo.nz/register2026/

Meet our super line-up of Sponsors

And then there were 18! We have finlaised our sponsor line-up for INTERFACEXpo 2026.

This year’s event brings together an outstanding group of sponsors – the innovators and industry leaders shaping the future of digital learning in schools. This is the perfect opportunity to tap into their insight, explore proven solutions, and have real conversations about what works. Delegates will have the chance to discover what they can offer – from smarter systems and streamlined workflows to powerful tools and resources that support teaching and learning.

Leading the way are our Gold Sponsors Google for Education, Kai’s Education, and 3D Now.

You’ll also hear the latest from Linewize, Ministry of Education, N4L, Science Alive, Learning First, and others – plus meet new faces, including ePlatform, JB Hi-Fi, Saasyan, and PC Locs.

Book your place
INTERFACEXpo 2026 is hosting events in Lincoln, Rotorua and Auckland. Places are still available. Find out more and book your place at interfacexpo.nz/register2026/

Can you help with a karakia?
Would you and your class be interested in recording an opening and/or closing karakia for us to use at this year’s INTERFACEXpo events?
If you are, please contact Greg Adams at [email protected] for further details.

If you’ve been meaning to sharpen your digital skills, explore practical classroom strategies, and connect with other educators navigating the same e-learning challenges – now’s the time to act!

Join us at INTERFACEXpo 2026 for a full day of hands-on workshops, inspiring sessions, and real conversations with educators looking for smarter ways forward. You'll get:
✔ Fresh ideas you can use immediately
✔ Practical AI insights for your classroom
✔ Direct access to leading edtech providers
✔ Time to connect, share and recharge

INTERFACEXpo is FREE for school educators.

Don’t leave it until the rush next term. Secure your place now at https://interfacexpo.nz/register2026/

Join Safer Internet Day on 10 February

Safer Internet Day 2026 takes place on Tuesday, 10 February 2026, with Netsafe leading the initiative in New Zealand to promote a safer, more positive online world.

The 2026 global theme focuses on ‘Together for a better internet’, encouraging collaborative efforts to combat online risks, promoting digital wellbeing, and empowering users to make responsible, safe choices.

Netsafe, as the NZ host, provides resources for schools, families, and organisations to engage in the day.

Among its online safety initiatives this year will be:

Youth Involvement: Applications for the 2026 Youth Action Squad (YAS) are open for students in Years 10-11 to help shape online safety initiatives.
Community Impact: The Otago Young Digital Leaders Pilot will also launch in 2026, supported by Netsafe, to strengthen digital wellbeing.
New Zealand will join more than 180 countries worldwide in a global day of action to promote collaborative efforts to build a safer online world.

For more information and to get involved, go to saferinternetday.nz

Is your school’s device storage and charging system a disaster waiting to happen?

Are you frustrated by manually loaning devices, swapping out broken devices, or not having devices securely stored and charged? Prevent fire risk, securely charge, and protect your mobile device investments, with PC Locs Charging Stations and Carrier Carts.

Why choose PC Locs?

▶️ IT Efficiency Reduce stress and headaches for IT staff. Overloaded tech teams can streamline IT hardware asset management processes to save time and reduce stress.
▶️ Device Uptime Get students and employees back to work faster. Ensure that productivity for students, teachers, and employees is not being hindered by pesky IT hardware issues.
▶️ Ready to Go Make life easier for device users. Providing access to ready-to-use, fully charged devices doesn’t need to be cumbersome or complicated.

PC Locs is trusted by schools across New Zealand and Australia for reliable, secure and classroom-ready charging.

Durable construction manufactured in Australia
Fast and efficient charging
Lockable, secure storage
Neat cable management

Watch a Customer Story

Pittwater House is a private K–12 school on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. While it supports students from kindergarten through Year 12, its digital infrastructure is primarily designed around the needs of the senior school.

Andrey Shorin, ICT Operations Manager, oversees the systems that keep devices running reliably – particularly for students in Years 7 to 12, where laptops are essential to learning. Students in Years 5 and 6 occasionally bring their own devices, but the real demand comes from high school.

That demand came with daily friction. Students often arrived with flat batteries and no charger. IT teams were pulled away from core tasks to manage last-minute charging. Teachers felt the pressure when lessons couldn’t start as planned.

It was clear something had to change. That’s when Pittwater House turned to PC Locs. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV7c4vraHtk

Protect your device investments
“Consider leasing PC Locs carts and carriers for your school’s notebook storage and management needs.”
Jan Paterson, Head of Education, Quadrent

Take a closer look at PC Locs Charging Solutions

Charging Stations

Secure and compact charging for classrooms, libraries and shared spaces. For schools needing fixed charging setups.

Find out more at https://www.pclocs.com.au/charging-stations/putnam-usb-c-charging-stations

Charging Carts

Portable, high-capacity charging with flexibility for classroom mobility. Perfect for schools managing larger or more mobile device fleets.

Find out more https://www.pclocs.com.au/charging-carts/carrier-charging-carts

Where can we source PC Locs Products in New Zealand?

PC Locs products, and spare parts for existing models, are available from your usual IT supplier, or contact one of our national education specialist partners: Acquire, Cyclone, New Era, PB Tech, Noel Leeming Commercial, School Depot, or TTS.

What if we don’t know who our IT reseller is?

Contact Dynamic Supplies New Zealand on 09 304 540 or go to https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=p669I0rs60C4tHErYtT08C14aXpJRcVDrOFiyFDa0OZUNEhHVDRVREZNV0E4U1gzTlVHR01MTUcxUy4u

What if printing didn’t have to be a problem anymore?

Running out of toner at critical times. Staff fixing printers instead of teaching. Budget-blowing surprise costs. Sound familiar?
Albany School faced the same challenges – until they didn’t.

Watch Julie Carrucan, Financial Executive at Albany School, share exactly how they transformed their print management with Business Distributors Ltd. (BDL) and HP.

Watch here: https://bdlcopiers.co.nz/watch-win/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=interface-email&utm_campaign=watch-win

This isn’t a sales pitch. It’s a 20-minute honest conversation covering:

✓ How they eliminated unpredictable printing costs
✓ Why staff now focus on teaching, not troubleshooting
✓ The security and sustainability wins that matter
✓ Real results from a real New Zealand school

Plus, when you book your free print assessment, you’ll:

- receive a branded Frank Green thermo cup
- enter to WIN 1 of 3 × $1,000 Rebel Sports vouchers for your school
- get expert advice from HP Print Partner of the Year 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023

No registration required to watch. No obligation to do anything but learn from a fellow school’s success.

Watch here: https://bdlcopiers.co.nz/watch-win/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=interface-email&utm_campaign=watch-win

BDL – Proudly New Zealand owned serving Kiwi schools for 50+ years.

Meet this year’s awesome Minecraft competition winners!

Thanks to everyone who entered this year’s INTERFACE Student Minecraft Competition, in association with the Marine Stewardship Council.

The challenge was to build an environment that protects fish, keeps fishing sustainable and ensures clean and pollution-free seas that are full of marine life. We had a record number of entries and we were blown away by your ideas, creativity and building skills.

There were some tough judging calls but congratulations to this year’s magnificent Minecrafters. They are …

Primary (Years 1-6)
WINNER: Shell Sunlight Fishing Village, Rowan Patterson, Home School

SECOND: Sustainable Seas Project, Wyatt Awarangi, Te Ahuwai Bromley School, Christchurch

THIRD: Madi’s Sustainable Fishery, Madison McDonald, Whakarongo School, Palmerston North

Intermediate (Years 7-8)
WINNER: Minecraft Sustainable Seas, Sylas Tairi, Totara School, Oamaru

SECOND: Baxter’s World, Baxter Staples and Will Hardy, Hereworth School, Havelock North

THIRD: Moeraki: Guardians of the Sea, Loki Che, Auckland Normal Intermediate school, Auckland

Secondary (Years 9+)
WINNER: Coral and Krill Marine Life, Adrain Te Kura, Sam Andrewartha, Conner Brunt, and Izayah Apiata, Wairarapa College, Masterton

SECOND: Project Ocean, Iynah Jung, Annie Liu, Katie McDowall, and Atasha Juanillo, Carmel College, Auckland

THIRD: Minecraft Seas, Jimmy Phillips, Anna Zou and Hunter Jeffery, Okaihau College, Northland

Read more at

Meet this year’s awesome Minecraft competition winners! Thanks to everyone who entered this year’s INTERFACE Student Minecraft Competition, in association with the Marine Stewardship Council. The challenge was to build an environment that protects fish,…

We’d like to welcome ePlatform as a first time sponsor of INTERFACEXpo.
ePlatform joins as first time sponsor

As a Supporting sponsor, the company will be exhibiting at all three events, in Lincoln, Rotorua and Auckland.

Meet ePlatform

Designed specifically for education, ePlatform makes it easy for schools to provide 24/7 access to thousands of eBooks and Audiobooks from leading publishers – available anytime, anywhere, on any device.
Teachers and librarians can easily manage collections, create class sets, track usage, and promote reading through built-in analytics and literacy support tools.
Students benefit from personalised reading experiences with adjustable display settings and accessibility features that support all learning needs.
In addition to its extensive digital library, ePlatform also offers a structured phonics program with decodable readers, helping early readers and English language learners develop strong foundational reading skills alongside their digital library experience.
With seamless integration into existing library and learning systems, ePlatform simplifies digital library management while supporting literacy outcomes across every year level.
Trusted by thousands of schools worldwide, ePlatform continues to help educators foster a lifelong love of reading and build confident, capable readers in the classroom and beyond.

For more go to eplatform.co