Tōnui Collab

Last month we had the privilege of speaking briefly with the Gisborne District Council about the ways we serve out rangatahi in Te Tairāwhiti, providing them with opportunities to experiment and thrive in STEMM.

Massive thanks to the Mātai Medical Research Institute team for the many ways they partner with us, strengthening STEMM pathways for our rangatahi. Ngā mihi ki a koe Stewart mō tō hautūtanga. Thank you to Holdsworth for your encouragement and Stoltz for your enthusiasm for the STEMM learning opportunities we develop for tamariki across Te Tairāwhiti.

It was lovely to welcome Mayor Rehette Stoltz and Gisborne District Councillors Debbie Gregory, Colin Alder, Rawinia Parata, Jeremy Muir, Alex Boros, Teddy Thompson and Sam Gibson to Mātai.

A special thank you to Papa Taharākau Stewart for opening our time together and setting such a meaningful tone for the visit. We were also grateful to be joined by Mātai Trustees Lyall Evans and Dame Bronwen Holdsworth.

The visit was a wonderful opportunity to share more about the work underway across Mātai and Tōnui Collab, introduce some of the people behind it, and have an open conversation about Mātai’s future growth and the opportunity to work alongside Council and GHL as plans for the proposed Mātai Campus continue to take shape.

Leigh Potter spoke about Mātai’s three pillars-clinical services, research and IP, and education and community initiatives. Tyla Parkinson shared her journey from Mātai-Holdsworth Scholarship recipient to MRI trainee at Mātai. Dr Tim Salmond spoke about the work he is leading through Mātai’s physiology and cardiometabolic laboratory, while Dr Gil Newburn spoke about using advanced MRI and lived experience to better understand brain function, injury and disease.

We were very grateful for the encouragement and support shown by GDC members throughout the visit, as well as the thoughtful questions and constructive discussion. Thank you for taking the time to join us and learn more about the work happening here in Tairāwhiti.

⚡ LIGHTING UP THE STORIES OF OUR TĪPUNA ⚡
This term tamariki have been building paper circuitry - bending copper tape, connecting LEDs, learning how electricity flows - all while exploring Tūrangahākoha, the school inquiry into remembering our tīpuna and celebrating their stories. This is practical science exploration. Tamariki designed lanterns that literally light up with the stories, names, and legacies of those who came before them, this is circuitry as a way to honour whakapapa.✨

🖊️ TEAM WORK IN ACTION 🖊️
Every Tōnui Collab workshop kicks off with a challenge and Marker Madness is a favourite right now. Tamariki hold strings attached to a felt pen, working together to guide it through a maze and/or draw a portrait. No single string controls the pen. It only moves when everyone pulls together. This collaborative challenge is
tricky - it takes patience, clear communication, and a few wobbly lines before it works. The development of these power skills are the point of our collaborative challenges - before we dive into circuits and game development or any other kaupapa, we strengthen the collaboration skills that make the rest of the workshop learning possible. 🤝

AFTER SCHOOL STEMM
This term our After-School STEMM Club is focussing on Game Development. Our young game developers are designing sprites, programming game conditions like collectables and threats, construction game narratives that tell stories through game play, and having a good time user testing and troubleshooting

Ready to turn your passion for technology into a career?

Trust Tairāwhiti, in partnership with EIT Tairāwhiti, has $9000 to share over up to three future tech karahipi | scholarships, for ākonga enrolling in the Bachelor of Computing Systems in 2027.

If you're passionate about technology and curious about emerging fields like AI, robotics, and drone technology, this karahipi|scholarship could help you take the next step on your learning journey.

Build the skills, knowledge, and confidence to become part of the next generation of tech leaders helping shape the future of Tairāwhiti. Whether your goal is to create innovative solutions, solve real-world challenges, or make a positive impact in your community, this opportunity is for you.

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Applications are open now and close 30 September 2026.

Whāia te mātauranga, whāia te anamata - Pursue knowledge, pursue the future. Good luck!

Apply here 👇
https://www.eit.ac.nz/students/scholarships/business-computing/

PĀ HANGARAU
Every school holidays, Tōnui Collab partners with a marae to create a unique wānanga where taitamariki from the hapori are invited to come together to experiment, create and thrive with STEMM. In July 2026 it was a privilege to cohost Pā Hangarau at Mangatū Marae, Whatatutu. Taitamariki shared kōrero about Matariki, designed and programmed digital games with celebrate and sustain their mātauranga about Matariki; they also experimented with robotics, they were immersed in VR, and strengthened their collaborative and creative problem solving through a number of unplugged challenges. Massive gratitude to the whānau o Whatatutu School whose manaakitanga in catering this wānanga keep us well fed and looked after. Ngā mihi nunui to Paora Paora Peipi and Brooklyn Brooky who both shared about their mahi. And thank you to The Tindall Foundation , the Spark Foundation and The Sunrise Foundation who provide funding support for this kaupapa.

DIGITAL ARTISTS
Our mokopuna are creators, they are artists with ever changing mediums, and this week our ākonga were introduced to digital art tool Procreate - they experimented with different brushes, different techniques, learned about layers, and created unique self portraits. Before we get on the digital tools, we always participate in some unplugged collaborative challenges, this week our ākonga attempted to collaboratively control a pen without touching the pen, how would you do it?