Our story
Aotearoa is facing a skills and diversity shortfall across science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). STEM professionals are essential to driving progress and innovation for our motu. And 80% of future jobs in Aotearoa will require their skills.
So, to protect our future, we need more of them.
Where it all began
It all started in 2005 when we were Futureintech, a schools programme created to address the skills shortage across the STEM industry, and encourage young Kiwis to consider STEM careers.
In 2018, we were faced with a challenge. How do we harness the knowledge from our Futureintech kete, but prioritise sustained engagement with STEM to strengthen the programme’s impact?
Enter the Wonder Project
The Wonder Project is Engineering New Zealand's not-for-profit, free schools programme, designed to inspire rangatahi with STEM. It includes NZ Curriculum-aligned programmes that provide awe-inspiring STEM learning experiences to Year 5–13 ākonga across Aotearoa.
Wonder Project programmes are hands-on, immersive, backed by subject matter experts and built on years of research and refinement. They deliver sustained engagement across the most impressionable years of Kiwi kids’ school experience – reinventing their perceptions of STEM when it matters most.
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Hands-on, project based learning
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NZ Curriculum aligned
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Free for schools
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Sustained STEM engagement
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Industry supported
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CPD hours for volunteers
Each programme is supported by volunteer industry professionals who join classrooms as Wonder Project Ambassadors. Ambassadors build confidence in ākonga and kaiako as they take on their STEM journey and provide a source of meaningful representation for ākonga.
Thanks to generous funding from our sponsors, everything needed to run our programmes is provided free, and carefully curated to empower rangatahi – so they can achieve remarkable things at school, in their communities, and in their future careers.