National Aquarium of New Zealand school holidays programme
07 April 2026 - 16 April 2026
Region(s): Hawke's Bay
Type(s): experiences
Book one of these exciting school holiday programmes at National Aquarium of New Zealand. The programme is aimed at 6–12 year olds.It repeats on the second week and it runs 8:30 am–3 pm, Tuesday to Thursday.
Most Wanted
Join the 3‑Day Mission to Protect Aotearoa! Aotearoa needs nature protectors, and these school holidays, you can join the hunt.
The Most Wanted Holiday Programme is inspired by the National Aquarium’s Most Wanted exhibition, where invasive species are on the loose and threatening our precious taonga. Over three action‑packed days, kids will explore different environments, uncover sneaky invaders, and learn how to help stop them.
Each day focuses on a different habitat, freshwater, terrestrial, and ocean, with hands‑on activities, creature encounters, and plenty of fun.
Freshwater Fugitives
Runs on Tuesdays. Rivers, lakes, and wetlands –how invasive species disrupt our freshwater ecosystems.
Tamariki work in teams to design and build a simple model trap inspired by real tools used to catch freshwater invaders like koi carp or catfish. They’ll test their trap in a mini 'river run' to see how well it works and learn why controlling these species matters. Tamariki will also:
Meet some of our freshwater residents.
Hunt for the nine Most Wanted species hidden around the aquarium.
Discover how invasive species spread through waterways.
Japanese koi carp
Japanese koi carp were originally bred to produce various coloured fish for ornamental ponds.
Terrestrial Trouble‑Makers
Runs on Wednesdays. Forests, backyards, and bush – how land‑based invaders threaten native birds, insects, and plants.
Children learn to identify the tracks of common invasive predators like rats, stoats, and possums. They’ll create their own footprint cards, then use them in a detective trail to 'track' invaders through a ‘forest’.
Tamariki will also:
Explore how predators impact native wildlife
Learn simple actions families can take at home
Discover six extra invasive species through videos and interactive stations
Special for Week 1 only – VR Biosecurity Adventure
During Week One, tamariki can put on a VR headset and step into the shoes of a Biosecurity Field Officer trying to help our Kauri forests. They’ll explore a virtual forest, spot signs of invasive predators, and learn how real teams protect Aotearoa’s wildlife.
Rats eating eggs
Rats are adapted to climbing trees and can locate nests easily due to their strong sense of smell.
Ocean Outlaws
Runs on Thursdays. Coastlines and marine habitats – marine pests and how they hitchhike into Aotearoa’s waters.
Tamariki build a small model boat and then test it in our 'marine biosecurity tank' to see how marine pests like Mediterranean fanworm can attach to hulls. They’ll experiment with different cleaning and design ideas to keep their boat pest‑free.
Tamariki will also:
Meet real marine creatures and learn how pests affect them
Complete their Most Wanted activity sheet
Become certified 'Nature Protectors' by finishing all three days
Location: National Aquarium of New Zealand, Marine Parade, Napier
For more information: https://www.nationalaquarium.co.nz/learn/holiday-programmes/
Related content
We have a wide range of resources that would support what your tamaili learn in these school programmes. A few key ones below:
Kaitiakitanga o te moana – a context for learning – introduces a suite of resources that support learning about marine biosecurity.
Predator Free 2050 vision is an ambitious goal to remove damaging introduced predators that threaten our nation’s natural taonga. Can we make New Zealand pest-free? – introduction is a comprehensive teaching resource supporting schools to explore the pest-free vision.
The webinars Pest detectives, Eco-explorers and Eco-champions support educators with conservation inquiry and action.
Explore the wide range of resources we have under these topics: Conservation, Biosecurity, Freshwater, Oceans, Reptiles and amphibians, Fish, Plants, Birds, and the concepts: Biodiversity, Habitat and Ecosystem.
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