Children from across New Zealand aged 6-12 can explore the natural wonders of Bay of Plenty from the comfort of their classroom.

How? Through the latest virtual field trip run by LEARNZ and funded by the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC).

“The Bay of Plenty region is shaped by fault lines, volcanoes and floods that continue to shift the landscape,” said NHC public education manager Hamish Armstrong.

“In this virtual field trip, students get to travel to sites affected by earthquakes, floods, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.”

“Kids will meet experts, hear real stories and discover how science, technology and past experiences are helping communities become more resilient in the face of disasters.”

LEARNZ is an annual programme of free virtual field trips, taking learners to remote places across Aotearoa, Antarctica and beyond.

Dr Craig Miller, senior volcano geophysicist at Earth Sciences NZ, said the Whakatāne region is a great location to showcase a range of natural phenomena and how they’ve helped form today’s landscape.

“From the Rangatāiki Plains, which balance slow subsidence and sudden faulting with infilling from large volcanic eruptions, to active landslide processes from the steep surrounding hills, the Whakatāne area has a bit of everything.”

Each LEARNZ field trip package includes supporting resources for teachers to spark curiosity, activate and build background knowledge and learn about the forces that shape our land.

“This field trip is a fantastic opportunity to educate thousands of young Kiwis about the land we live in,” said Armstong.

“It can inspire them with advances in science in technology that continue to evolve and help our country be more resilient to natural hazards.”

LEARNZ virtual field trips align with the New Zealand curriculum and cover a range of learning areas, predominantly science and social sciences.

Learn more and register here: https://www.learnz.org.nz/hazards254