There were many worthy entries in the regional science fair finals but there were two top contenders and the judges had a hard time choosing between them.
Twelve-year-old Wanganui Intermediate students Connor Hoskin and Leah Aiono are concerned about the plight of people in Pacific nations affected by lack of resources and each came up with a very different scientific experiment to help them.
Connor's project "Free Energy" was inspired by his interest in recycling and power generation and he has come up with a method of generating power with a rotor from an old washing machine.
He incorporated a number of recycled objects into the project and used a pedal mechanism from an old bicycle to transfer the power to two 12-volt batteries where it can be stored for up to a month.
"When the science fair is over, my invention will be travelling to Samoa, where the frame will be removed and a water wheel will be connected to the shaft of the rotor.