Inspire in schools programme

At Matamoe Hub, we bring cutting-edge, hands-on technology education directly into schools, making STEM learning fun, engaging, and relevant. Our Inspire sessions are designed to supplement classroom teaching, helping students develop key digital skills while sparking curiosity and creativity.

Bringing technology to our rangatahi

 

We’re here to show kids that they can do it. It’s not about being a tech expert from the start—it’s about creating a space where they can explore, experiment, make mistakes, and grow.

With our hands-on, engaging approach to STEM, we ensure that every child feels confident in their abilities and excited to take on new challenges. By showing them how tech connects to what they already love—whether it’s sports, music, or dance—we help them see that technology isn’t just about coding; it’s a tool to create, innovate, and achieve real outcomes.

Most of our students don’t initially see themselves as “tech kids,” so we bring technology to them in ways that are creative, relevant, and engaging. We make tech approachable and meaningful, showing rangatahi how it can enhance their passions rather than replace them.

We empower students with the skills to expand their digital literacy, problem-solving, critical thinking, and creative thinking—essential capabilities that will help them succeed in an increasingly digital world.

What We Offer

Inspire Sessions

(Years 5-8 & Years 9-10)

 

Our Inspire programme delivers a structured introduction to different areas of technology, blending problem-solving with creativity. Each class participates in four interactive sessions, designed to introduce coding, robotics, AI, and more in an engaging way.

 
Example Inspire Session Themes: (Year 5-8)

 

· Human Robots – Learn about algorithms by acting as robots and debugging tasks.

· Te Reo Chatbot – Use Scratch to build a chatbot and explore logic, variables, and AI fundamentals.

· VR Exhibit – Design a virtual exhibition of cars or animals while learning about loops and 3D environments.

· Robot Navigation – Program and refine robot navigation through mazes, improving efficiency and problem-solving skills.

 

Example Inspire Session Themes: (Year 9-10)

 

· Motion capture – Record a basketball free-throw with a 3d character for a game

· AI and Machine Learning – Learn about object recognition and teach a computer to play Pacman.

· VR – Animate 3D character in a VR environment

 

 

Inspire Labs – One-Day Events

 

For students who have experienced our Inspire sessions or those ready for a challenge, we offer full-day immersive workshops where they tackle exciting real-world problems with technology. These sessions provide an opportunity to extend their learning and apply digital skills in innovative ways.

 

Example Inspire Lab Activities:

 

· Build a Candy Dispenser – Engineering meets fun with LEGO and robotics.

· Facial Recognition & Emojis – Use AI to map emotions to emoji responses.

· Motion Capture Game / Animation – Bring 3D characters to life using motion capture.

· VR Escape Room Challenge – Solve puzzles with coding and unlock a VR escape room.

· Super Robot Battle Day – Use robotics and LEGO to create a sumo wrestling challenge.

· Game Design in a Day – Develop a game similar to Angry Birds or Flappy Bird.

We run Inspire Labs throughout the year, typically in Term 3 or Term 4.

 

Tech Curriculum Support & Advanced Topics

 

We also provide direct support for schools looking to enhance their STEM curriculum, assisting teachers in delivering high-quality technology education. Our team helps with:

· Supplementing in-class technology teaching

· Bringing expertise in AI, 3D printing, robotics, and coding

· Assisting with lesson planning and curriculum integration

· Supporting schools in delivering advanced tech topics

 

 

What teachers are saying about us

 

“As a Decile 2 school, Taita College students don’t get a lot of opportunities to experience coding or virtual reality. Most would say that a career in coding or tech is too hard or beyond their capabilities. 

Matamoe has shown them this is not the case. We’ve had three one hour sessions so far and the students have already learned how to code a robot to complete a maze. Matamoe delivers the learning in a way that is simple and accessible but most of all FUN!

The students have been engaged in the sessions and were easily able to transfer the skills from one session to the next. We feel really lucky to have Matamoe working with us and the students are looking forward to the future sessions.” – Cathy Peek, Assistant Principal Taita College

“The staff and students at WIS have loved having the opportunity to learn and apply digital technology learning through the Matamoe programme. It is run every Friday in our Science room, each session is just over an hour. We have three classes scheduled for a four week rotation.

During this time Matamoe take students through activities such as human robots, microbit coding, VR and robot maze. Students have loved the VR and robot maze sessions.

It has been great having Matamoe deliver a programme that we don’t have expertise in. The gift of exposing our students to digital technologies and applications has been valuable and greatly appreciated.” – Charmaine Russell, Assistant Principal Wainuiomata Intermediate School

 

Get in touch to bring Inspire to your school!

Contact our team at [email protected] about bringing Inspire to your school. 

 

Thanks to our amazing sponsors 

Thanks to the support from the Spark Foundation in 2026, we’ve been able to launch a second Inspire team at Matamoe, allowing us to reach more schools across the Wellington region.