Preparing to compete on the Aquabots obstacle course at Kawakawa Community Pool are lane 1, Michael Gray Year 6; Stephen Fox Year 5; and Olive Newton Year 6, of the Orangatanks team from Paihia School; and in lane 2 TJ Norman (obscured); Chrissy Stott and Taylor Bergman of the Taniwha team from Oromahoe School.
Preparing to compete on the Aquabots obstacle course at Kawakawa Community Pool are lane 1, Michael Gray Year 6; Stephen Fox Year 5; and Olive Newton Year 6, of the Orangatanks team from Paihia School; and in lane 2 TJ Norman (obscured); Chrissy Stott and Taylor Bergman of the Taniwha team from Oromahoe School.
The Bay of Islands became a battleground for underwater robots as the first round of Northland’s 2023 Aquabot competition took to the Kawakawa Community Pool.
Twenty Aquabot teams from school around the Bay of Islands area competed at the Aquabot competition and teams of students battled in the pool completing underwater challenges and competing for the fastest time through an obstacle course. Each team also gave a presentation to panels of judges describing the science and engineering behind each unique Aquabot in English and te reo, with the winners going on to compete for a chance to represent New Zealand at the next Aquabots world champs, in the United States in May.
Organiser Gareth Bodle said Kawakawa Community Pool was packed with students, teachers and whānau for an intense three hours of pool competition. Many whānau pitched in, helping with judging and running the pool courses.
Paihia School's team IQ Bros members Bernadette Abella (left), Kyle Brown, Ryan Dreaver, and Dallas Nicholson, all Year 6, make their Aquabot presentation to judges Maia Cooper and Darlia Walker.
The Te Kura Reo Rua o Motatau teams who, along with Paihia School, entered five teams each, had to wait until the morning of the competition to obtain new materials to repair control boxes on their Aquabot. Manaia Rihari, a Year 7 student from Te Kura Reo Rua o Motatau, repaired his team’s controller and two others for his kura in the on-site emergency workshop while the competition was underway so they could all compete.
Rihari’s vital work enabled the yellow Kowhai Team from his kura to win the Scallop Collection challenge and they were the only team to obtain a perfect 100 out of 100 on a challenge course. His efforts also meant his kura’s Kotare team came second fastest in the Obstacle Course.
Fastest Aquabot on the day was Olympic from Oromāhoe School, and the overall winner on the day was Taniwhas, also from Oromāhoe.
Skylar Beazley (left), Jacqui Peihopa, Hapati Hau, and Connor Crisp (obscured), of Morewa School's Waiharekiekie team, give their poster presentation to Aquabot judges Waina Albert Melanie Chandler-Winters.
Bodle said the Aquabot programme has been supported across all schools in the Bay of Islands area throughout terms two and three by He Iwi Kotahi Tatou Trust from Moerewa, and the competitions across Te Tai Tōkerau are also supported by Creative Northland.
The next round of the Te Tai Tōkerau competition will be for the Whangārei area, on October 17 at the Whangārei Aquatic Centre, and in December all teams will compete in the Te Tai Tōkerau Northland regional final to find the winners eligible to compete in the US finals in May.
Bodle said the Te Tai Tōkerau competition had registered with SeaPerch in the US as a SeaPerch international “regional competition”. This means the winners of the Te Tai Tōkerau finals in December are eligible to compete in the US in May.
Manaia Rihari of Te Kura Reo Rua o Motatau (left), and Billie Baker and Ata Leato, of the Kapowai Warriors team from Te Kura o Waikare, compete in the obstacle course at the Aquabots competition.
‘’This is an important step that reflects the growing participation in Aquabots in the region and it also means that students from our community can aspire to being with and competing with their peers among the world’s best no matter whether they come from a small rural school or a big urban school. It also will hopefully encourage our community and businesses to contribute to funding the travel for our students,’’ he said.
A trip to the US includes visits to environmental research stations such as the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, space exploration facilities including Wallops Launch Centre and the Goddard Space Centre, and US military research centres, culminating in competing in the International SeaPerch competition.
Harmony Reti (standing), Rangi Wiki (sitting), Billie Baker, and Ata Leato of the Kapowai Warriors team from Te Kura o Waikare get their Aquabot ready for battle
■ Bodle said the Aquabot scheme was designed by the US Navy to encourage students to take up science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) careers and would help students test their skills, design and technology against each other in a competition format involving speed, manoeuvrability and underwater tasks and challenges.
“Students build their Aquabot from a standard kit using PVC pipes and fittings, electric motors and electric circuitry.
“The simplicity of the design is deceptive as the students must master engineering skills, buoyancy and hydrodynamics as well as construction and electrical skills.”
He said students and teachers were all enjoying the challenges and the programme’s ability to extend students’ thinking and learning.
