Our peak 'week' is almost here!
Seaweek features 10+ days of ocean-inspired community events and school engagements. We believe experiences and hands-on learning can strengthen connections and inspire care for our marine environment. Hence our programme includes opportunities to participate in water activities like snorkelling, paddling, engaging with local conservation initiatives, beach clean-ups, film screenings, art workshops and citizen science projects.
Resources below!
What's On
There are many ways to get involved in celebrating the sea! Prepare to be inspired by our What's On page as you scroll through the events happening all over the country. Before you head there, have a peek at this region-by-region snapshot to get a feel for what's going on:
AUCKLAND
Get a quick overview of what is happening by having a look at our Auckland Events Calendar! There's a wide variety of free events happening in Auckland - including; library education sessions like the 'wonderful world of food webs', many upcycled art sessions, snorkel days and a 'sunset groove' silent disco!
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BAY OF PLENTY
There's a whole bunch of cool events being put on by the Sustainable Backyards Bay of Plenty crew including; beach cleans, movie screenings, and a unique collaborative 'Marine Invaders' card game event!
CANTERBURY
There are so many opportunities in this region; from Kaikōura to Timaru it's all happening in Canterbury! Get an overview of all the activities on the Environment Canterbury website and view their calendar here! Huge thanks to the wide range of participating organisations that have contributed to this outstanding event programme.
HAWKES BAY
The National Aquarium has coordinated some amazing events delivered by Hawkes Bay organisations, as well as activities on their social media sites to take part in. Find a summary of Seaweek events in Hawke's Bay on the National Aquarium Seaweek 2024 page to see what they are offering!
MARLBOROUGH
Take part in the Massive Marlborough Cleanup - which includes events at multiple locations! Other family-friendly events include Children's Day Ocean Adventure Cruise and the Children's Day and Seaweek Celebration at Momorangi Bay organised by Envirohub Marlborough.
NELSON-TASMAN
Attend a guided snorkel day at Rotokura (Cable Bay), learn about seagrass restoration with at the Seaweek science talk organised by Cawthron Institute, or take part in the annual Boulder Bank walk!
NORTHLAND
Join TriOceans & Ocean Mind Project at Moana Exploration Day - Seaweek Edition! There's also an EMR snorkelling event and Ocean trivia night fun for adults at Phat House Brewery!
OTAGO
Check out Sponge Day at Tūhura Otago Museum for sea-themed activities for everyone! There's also two public talks; one on the foraging behaviour of little blue penguins and another on restoring the kelp forests of North Otago.
TARANAKI
Taranaki’s events are set to kick off with a family expo at the Ngāmotu Seaside Market in New Plymouth where you can visit 11 marine-themed stalls hosted by the region’s leading marine specialists. Later in the week, there's an evening of talks and a family art session too! Read about what's planned in this Stuff article or head over to What's On and click 'Taranaki'
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Seaweek Resources
Young Ocean Explorers: 21-Day Challenge
This classroom-based challenge runs from 1st March to 12th April! YOE provides free lesson plans plus unique and inspiring underwater video content. Riley Hathaway, and her father Steve, will take you above and below the glistening waters of the Hauraki Gulf to meet amazing species and their habitats, the challenges the Gulf is facing, and be inspired by the amazing people making it a better place.
Free Twinkl Resources – Special for Seaweek!
Twinkl is celebrating Seaweek by making a collection of free teaching materials available until 10 March! Available items are early childhood education and primary school learning resources for teaching about Seaweek and the ocean, including fact files, activities, writing prompts, and challenge cards. There are also some resources from Project Jonah and children's author Nicole Miller! Find out more and access these resources on the Twinkl website.
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LEARNZ Virtual Field Trips
Virtually explore marine environments across Aotearoa with LEARNZ's free online field trips! Take a journey to locations around Ōtepoti Dunedin to find out about the population recovery of pakake, the New Zealand sea lion. Or uncover the unique ecosystems of Tamatea Dusky Sound! Find all the details on the LEARNZ website.
Explore Seaweek Sea Creature Content
Make learning about the ocean even more fun with these creature interviews and downloadable resources. Through these posts you can learn about seahorse courtship, the comeback of the NZ fur seal, our rarest penguin the Tawaki, and great white shark eating habits - more are added weekly!
Experiencing Marine Reserves 'Fish of The Year' Competition
Vote for your favourite fish species in Experiencing Marine Reserves' annual Fish of the Year competition, taking place from March 2nd through 31st! Find out more and place your vote on the Experiencing Marine Reserves website.