Kōkiri Lab · STEM Inquiries
Each world has its own colour and visual character — science and technology topics for Years 7–8, with community insights, build ideas, and AI mentor support inside your investigation.
Two ways to work
Your own investigation
Ask your own question — no inquiry world required. Makerspace builds and design pathways open inside your workspace.
Start your own →From an inquiry world
Twenty guided pathways — each with a wero, investigation ideas, and build suggestions from your teacher.
Browse inquiry worlds →You can run several investigations at once — switch between them in My investigations. Browse fabrication ideas in Makerspace builds (3D print, laser cut, robotics, and more).
Science inquiry · Unit 1
Living water systems — measure, explain, redesign
What is happening in our freshwater system — and what should we change?
Something is shifting in the AwaKai tank. The fish are quieter than last week and one plant is yellowing. What does the water know?
Science inquiry · Unit 2
Who lives here — and what does abundance tell us?
Which invertebrates appear in our place — and what patterns emerge over time?
After dark the kura grounds change. A small ultraviolet light could show you who is moving through your site.
Science inquiry · Unit 3
Microbes under the microscope — teacher-led biosafety
What soil microbes can we observe safely — and what do they suggest about soil health?
Invisible life in soil can surprise you — your teacher will guide the setup so you can focus on the evidence.
Science inquiry · Unit 4
Decomposers, fermentation, and chemical change
How do fungi and fermentation change materials — and how do we measure it?
Fungi are nature's recyclers — and fermentation shows chemical change you can measure with your own eyes.
Science inquiry · Unit 5
Evidence for kaitiakitanga decisions
Who is present in this place — and what conservation action does the evidence support?
Native birds and lizards have predators who hunt at night. A simple monitoring station could show us who is passing through.
Science inquiry · Unit 6
Elements, compounds, and measurable change
What happens when substances combine — and how do we know?
Every substance around you is built from elements. When they combine, something new appears — and the evidence is often visible.
Science inquiry · Unit 7
Fair tests, motion, and elastic redesign
How does stored elastic energy become motion — and what redesign improves distance?
An elastic band, a chassis, and a question: what makes this car go further? You will find out.
Science inquiry · Unit 8
Structure, transport, and system explanations
How do living systems move what they need — and what evidence shows it?
Every cell needs supplies — but how do materials reach cells deep inside a plant or your body?
Science inquiry · Unit 9
Variation, selection, and evidence over time
What variation exists — and what story does the evidence tell about change?
Why do you look like you do — and how much of that is written in DNA versus shaped by the world around you?
Science inquiry · Unit 10
Big systems, scales, and communicated evidence
How do Earth systems connect — and how do we communicate that to an audience?
Earth is not one system — it is four spheres exchanging matter and energy, and humans are part of the exchange.
Technology inquiry
Technological modelling — prototype, test, iterate with fair evidence
How do we design and test a prototype so the evidence is fair, repeatable, and useful for the next build?
Energy moves through every system — but not all of it does useful work. Where does the rest go?
Technology inquiry
Electronics — calibrate, deploy, and trust field readings
How can we sense stream health reliably in our awa — and know when to trust the readings?
Awa near our kura tell a story. Sensors can help us hear what they are saying.
Technology inquiry
Programming outputs that survive the real world
How do we automate measurements over a sustained logging run without losing trust when gaps appear?
An Arduino can listen for hours longer than you can. What would you ask it to listen for?
Technology inquiry
Mechatronics — sense, decide, act
How can a robot assistant collect or act on evidence reliably in our place — with a safety plan?
NuiBot is a science assistant — not a toy. What will you ask it to help you investigate?
Technology inquiry
3D modelling — fit, tolerance, iteration
How do we fabricate a part that fits the evidence, survives field use, and tolerates real-world variance?
Your sensor doesn't sit where it needs to. A small printed part could fix that.
Technology inquiry
Spatial design — structures that last outdoors
How do we design monitoring structures that people can read, trust, and maintain outdoors?
A small marker, well placed, helps the next person find the same spot — or pause where care is needed.
Technology inquiry
Communicating evidence with integrity
How do we turn messy data into a story people understand — without hiding spread or uncertainty?
Your data tells a story. Can you make someone care in 90 seconds?
Technology inquiry
Human-centred design for data and decisions
Who uses your interface — and can they reach the evidence they need without misreading it?
A brilliant dataset fails if nobody can read the screen — design choices include or exclude people.
Technology inquiry
Computational thinking on real inquiry data
What pattern in our inquiry data can an algorithm reveal — and when does it mislead us?
An algorithm is a recipe a computer follows — if the recipe is wrong, every graph built from it is wrong too.
Technology inquiry
When automation helps — and when humans must decide
When should an intelligent system decide — and who bears the consequences if it is wrong?
AI can classify, predict, and recommend — but who trained it, on what data, and who wins or loses when it is wrong?
