Science Learning Hub logo
TopicsConceptsCitizen scienceTeacher PLDGlossary
Sign in
topics

plants

The uniqueness of New Zealand plants

Article

The uniqueness of New Zealand plants

New Zealand plants are unique! New Zealand has some of the oldest primeval forests in the world, the largest type ...

Read more
Raupō plant (long slender leaves with seedheads) in the wild

Article

Could raupō help restore wetlands?

New research details the history of raupō from the time before people arrived in Aotearoa. It shows this resilient, opportunistic plant – and taonga species – ...

Read more
Exploring kōwhai mātauranga in the classroom

Article

Exploring kōwhai mātauranga in the classroom

Chloe Stantiall, a year 5–6 kaiako at Silverdale Normal School, shares her experiences and insights from a week-long teaching and learning sequence about kōwhai. Chloe worked ...

Read more
Mātauranga Māori of kōwhai

Article

Mātauranga Māori of kōwhai

Kōwhai trees litter the banks of rivers and streams and are a popular choice as a border for new roading developments around Aotearoa. Not only are ...

Read more
Developing a new plant-based protein

Article

Developing a new plant-based protein

We all need protein to live and stay healthy. However, many protein sources are becoming an increasingly expensive way to meet our needs – both economically ...

Read more
Tackling weeds to safeguard native ecosystems

Article

Tackling weeds to safeguard native ecosystems

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment report Space invaders: A review of how New Zealand manages weeds that threaten native ecosystems investigated the growing risk weeds ...

Read more
Weeds – threats to native ecosystems

Article

Weeds – threats to native ecosystems

We all know about the threats that predators like possums, rats and stoats pose to New Zealand's native ecosystems, but did you know different exotic weeds ...

Read more
Unpacking science teaching with Kiwi Kai

Article

Unpacking science teaching with Kiwi Kai

Kiwi Kai is an online learning tool that provides a fun and engaging way to explore science concepts, sustainability, social decision making and systems thinking through ...

Read more
Indigenous perspectives – giants of the forests

Article

Indigenous perspectives – giants of the forests

Trees are a magnificent wonder of nature – giants of the forest. Tāne Mahuta is a giant kauri (Agathis australis). At 51.5 metres tall, it is ...

Read more
The Majestic Samaúma – art meets science

Article

The Majestic Samaúma – art meets science

Art can help students understand the world around them. It can take many forms such as sculpture, paint, sound, abstract, light, real life, models, digital formats ...

Read more
Ancestral Māori adapted quickly in the face of rapid climate change

Article

Ancestral Māori adapted quickly in the face of rapid climate change

A more precise timeline now shows Aotearoa was first settled in the North Island before the settlers expanded south and then retreated again when the climate ...

Read more
Seed banks – protecting biodiversity

Article

Seed banks – protecting biodiversity

Seeds are part of most plant life cycles. Seed-producing plants and the seeds they produce provide resources for humans and other living things. These include food ...

Read more
How the Ice Ages spurred the evolution of New Zealand’s weird and wiry native plants

Article

How the Ice Ages spurred the evolution of New Zealand’s weird and wiry native plants

The most controversial feature of the New Zealand flora is the plethora of small-leaved trees and shrubs with wiry interlaced branches. This article has been republished ...

Read more
Ngā rau o te rākau ❘ Tree leaves

Article

Ngā rau o te rākau ❘ Tree leaves

He aha te take o ngā rau o te rākau? Ko te take matua o ngā rau ko te ahotakakame. Mā te ahotakakame te tupu e ...

Read more
Ngā kākano ❘ Seeds

Article

Ngā kākano ❘ Seeds

Kua ruia atu te kākano – kātahi ka aha? Mēnā ka tau te kākano ki tētahi wāhi arotau, ka tinaku, ā, ka pihi he tipu hou. ...

Read more
Te haenga me te ruinga o te kākano ❘ Pollination and seed dispersal

Article

Te haenga me te ruinga o te kākano ❘ Pollination and seed dispersal

He aha te take o ngā pua? Mā te whakaputa uri tōrua e whai uri ai te nuinga o ngā momo rākau. Nā reira, me whakaputa ...

Read more
He pūnaha whakarōpū ❘ Classifying and identifying plants

Article

He pūnaha whakarōpū ❘ Classifying and identifying plants

Me pēwhea tātou e whakarōpū i ngā rauropi koiora? How should we classify biological organisms? Kua tīkina tēnei pikitia whakaari nā Isobel Te Aho-White, i tētahi ...

Read more
Ngā rākau ❘ Trees

Article

Ngā rākau ❘ Trees

Nā te manaakitanga a Matua Mokoro Gillett, a te tumuaki o Te Wharekura o Te Rau Aroha, tēnei mahi i tutuki. The purpose of this learning ...

Read more
He aha hoki tērā rākau? ❘ What kind of tree is that?

Article

He aha hoki tērā rākau? ❘ What kind of tree is that?

This article provides an introduction to the topic as delivered to students at Te Wharekura o Te Rau Aroha and provides an example unit plan. He ...

Read more
Te tapa ingoa

Article

Te tapa ingoa

This Connected article by Priscilla Wehi and Hemi Whaanga explores how early Māori named and grouped the plants and animals they found around them. Discover what ...

Read more
Cover page from article: Whakaotirangi and her Kete of Kūmara

Article

Whakaotirangi and her kete of kūmara

This Connected article recounts an important story from the oral tradition of Tainui. It tells of how the iwi’s ancestor Whakaotirangi first brought kūmara and other ...

Read more
Pasture plants

Article

Pasture plants

We often think of pasture as grassy areas where cows, sheep or other animals graze, but if we take a closer look, there is a lot ...

Read more
Plantain research

Article

Plantain research

Plantain has been in the spotlight as scientists and farmers investigate its usefulness as pasture feed and its potential environmental benefits. Dr Ina Pinxterhuis and Dr ...

Read more
Plantain

Article

Plantain

Plantain is the common name for around 200 plants in the family Plantaginaceae. There are about 20 species in Aotearoa New Zealand, including 10 endemic species. ...

Read more
Gardening in the living room

Article

Gardening in the living room

This Connected article by Sophie Fern explores how the Balaclava School gardening club investigated where was the best place to grow vegetables over Dunedin’s cold winter ...

Read more
  • ‹
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • ›

See our newsletters here.

NewsEventsAboutContact usPrivacyCopyrightHelp

The Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao is funded through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Science in Society Initiative.

Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao © 2007-2026 The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato