WeSTEM 2025 - PROJECT #7

Hidden patterns all around us

Manurewa Intermediate School

How do patterns in nature, culture, and technology help us solve problems and create new ideas in science and technology?

This inter-disciplinary project will engage all 950 students at Manurewa Intermediate School to explore how hidden patterns in nature, culture and technology influence design, communication and problem solving.

Students will work across multiple learning strands to investigate cultural patterns (e.g. tapa, tukutuku and mātauranga Māori), natural patterns (e.g. fractals, biological structures and ecosystems), and digital patterns (e.g. algorithms, AI and social media) to understand how patterns shape their lives.

In the digital technology strand, students will explore how cultural patterns are used to convey information. They will be supported by artist and creative technologist Marcus Winter (aka The Sandman) to create animated stories that merge cultural knowledge, digital tech and creativity.

In the practical science and Breakout Buzz strands, students will gain experience with patterns related to soundwaves, energy, biology and technological systems.

By bridging cultural knowledge with modern science, the project will help students recognise the interconnectedness of patterns across disciplines, fostering innovation and critical thinking.