The Challenge

Show us how wild for wildlife your tamariki are! 

This year we were asking all tamariki to ‘get wild for wildlife’ by learning more about a species they are interested in, figuring out ways to help that species in the wild and then sharing their message with others!

This competition was open to all primary and intermediate aged tamariki from Hamilton to Warkworth, and was open to all tamariki-focused community groups to enter!

We’d like to congratulate the winners of our recent Mazda NZ schools competition!

The purpose of this annual competition is to encourage ākonga (students) to connect with nature, foster curiosity about the natural world and protect what they love.

To enter, the students had to demonstrate what they learnt about a specific animal species, its environment and the threats it faces in the wild. Students then looked into ways that their own actions and the actions of their community could make a positive change for that species.

Taking out the top spot was Room NB3 from Owairoa Primary School and their mahi for marine mammals – such as the Bryde’s whale. Some students got involved by putting up posters at their local beach encouraging beach-goers not to litter, others made informational ‘top trump’ cards, and their class created a video encouraging good waste disposal habits that was played at their school assembly.

In second place, Waitakere Primary School tamariki helped to spread awareness across the different classes and age ranges in their school (even creating engaging and educational games to play!) on the benefits of the humane trapping of introduced predators and their passion for #predatorfree2050.

And in third place Hobsonville School Blueroom who created a gallery of dioramas that showcased different New Zealand native animal species and their habitats. These were shared with classes across the school to discuss the importance of rubbish disposal and protecting nature.

We’d like to thank all of the kura and schools who entered and did their bit for wildlife and the environment! Stay tuned for the 2023 competition announcement!

https://cdn.aucklandunlimited.com/zoo/assets/media/mazda-competition-gallery-2.jpg

Tips and Tricks

To help shape the projects for tamariki, we've created a teacher support kit with ideas and resources to help with the learning journey.

Download the kit now: 

Teacher Information Student Worksheets

Prize pack details

There are 8 prizes which shall be distributed to winners of the competition:

First Prize – Top entry

  1. A free educational trip to the zoo for one class/group (up to 30 students and 6 adults).
  2. A behavioural enrichment education session where you will create some special items for a specific animal (flexible as could possibly fit to the animal they have been learning about).
  3. Meet and greet a Zoo keeper and present your enrichment to them where you will watch your items be distributed through a habitat for the wildlife to use.

Second Prize

  1. A free self-guided trip to the zoo for one class/group (up to 30 students and 6 adults).
  2. A quick meet and greet Q&A with keeper of species learnt about.

Third Place

  1. A free online session with our Conservation Learning Team including a Q&A with a keeper.
  2. Learning pack of activities for your class/group.

Five Runner ups

  1. Free online education session with Conservation Learning Team.

We will be judging on the following three main points, but make sure you have fun doing them:

Learn – what new learning have the ākonga undertaken.
Do – what did your ākonga do after learning about their chosen species.
Share – how did they share their message and what was the outcome.

We’re not necessarily looking at how successful the doing and sharing was but rather the effort and attempts made. We want everyone to do their best!

  1. To enter, teachers must complete the entry form and upload their project and enter before 4pm, 23 September 2022.
  2. Information on how to enter and prizes form part of these terms and conditions. Any entry not complying with these terms and conditions is invalid.
  3. Entry is open to all Primary and Intermediate Schools year 0 – 8 from Hamilton to Warkworth.
  4. Entry is open to all tamariki-focused community groups year 0 – 8 from Hamilton to Warkworth.
  5. The overall winning entry will win free class entry (up to 30 students and 6 adults) to Auckland Zoo and free bus transport.  
  6. Competition closes midnight on 23 September 2022. The entries will be judged by Mazda New Zealand and Auckland Zoo. representatives and all entrants will be advised of the winners via an e-mail on Friday 21 October.
  7. Winning classes will be able to book session times via the Auckland Zoo education booking system for visits during term four in 2022. 
  8. It is the responsibility of the winning entrant to book its class session date and time with the Auckland Zoo Conservation Learning Team.
  9. Auckland Zoo reserves the right to verify the validity of all entries and reserves the right to disqualify any individual entrant or group of entrants for tampering with the entry process, including but not limited to submitting an entry that is not otherwise in accordance with these terms and conditions.
  10. If the prize remains unclaimed despite Auckland Zoo’s best endeavours to contact the prize winners, the prize will be forfeited, and Auckland Zoo may conduct an unclaimed prize draw to award the unclaimed prize.
  11. The judges decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
  12. By entering the competition, the prize winner agrees that Auckland Zoo and Mazda New Zealand may use their names and pictures for publicity and promotion purposes, without compensation.
  13. Auckland Zoo’s general terms and conditions of entry apply at all times during your Zoo visit.
  14. Prize must be redeemed within term four in 2022.
  15. Dates of visit will depend on staff and session availability.
  16. The prize does not include meals.
  17. Prize cannot be sold, exchanged for cash, or other Auckland Zoo products.
  18. Learn more about Mazda New Zealand here: https://www.mazda.co.nz/

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