WeSTEM 2025 - PROJECT #4

Wayfinders of the Pacific

Craffft + Tapasā + Waitākere College

"How can we follow in the footsteps of Pacific navigators and apply their knowledge to our own learning journeys?" 

That was the aspirational purpose of an innovative project collaboration between Waitākere College, Craffft and Tapasā with help from Little Engineers NZ and Banana Boat Org.

Using traditional Polynesian building techniques, navigation techniques, LED Star STEM Kits and Minecraft Education Edition, students embarked on a digital journey mirroring their ancestors’ voyages.

Players started their voyage from Hawaiki. Using Matariki and other constellations as a guide, they navigated to Aotearoa, encountering challenges and learning Polynesian and Māori wayfinding traditions along the way. In class, they built LED Matariki constellation models, reinforcing decision-making skills and cultural knowledge.

Students also researched, designed and built their own “home islands” in Minecraft and created new interactive storytelling elements to gamify Polynesian navigation and cultural learning for future students.

This unique collaboration was facilitated by experts in Polynesian navigation, with cultural knowledge, storytelling and reflection guided by facilitators from Tapasā. 

Electrical engineers from Little Engineers NZ and game designers from Craffft supported the rangatahi with hands-on and digital tech activities that reinforced the learning and showed them diverse STEM pathways in engineering and technology. 

This project merged Polynesian knowledge and traditions, interactive digital learning and STEAM education to empower students to see themselves as modern explorers, linking past navigation skills to future opportunities.