Bankwood Primary School were supported by the Exscite trust to experience a fieldtrip to  Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum for 98 Tamariki in 2026. They engaged in the hands-on exhibits and learned further about Whakahokia exhibit, the Tainui waka and wharenui as well as looking at the giant insect exhibit.

Tamariki loved celebrating and uncovering the stories of Māori leaders, local trailblazers, and contemporary artists, which was a part of their term curriculum focus on inspiring New Zealanders.  The Exscite exhibit was extremely engaging for the tamariki. Kaiako reported that the STEAM and the links to their taiao and mataurangi Māori were very strong and it was powerful for the tamariki to see what is learned at school also in the Exscite space. Returning to kura, tamariki have carried on the learning about what a museum is and have created some technology based on some of the concepts covered in Exscite. 

The Exscite Trust was happy to support this fieldtrip to expand hands-on science experiences with the exhibit that was the initial mahi of the Exscite Trust. 

The Exscite Trust is proud to have supported the Hamilton Fun Palaces in 2017 and 2018, helping bring this global movement to the local community.

Fun Palaces is an internationally recognised initiative celebrating culture, creativity, and science, built on the idea that “everyone a scientist, everyone an artist.” The Hamilton events, held at The Meteor Theatre, brought together local ‘makers’ to share their skills with the community, offering a wide range of hands-on activities. Children explored science through experiences like extracting DNA, building simple circuits, investigating freshwater ecosystems, and creative making — all designed to be interactive, accessible, and engaging.

Through its support, Exscite Trust helped create an inclusive space where science was something to be experienced, shared, and enjoyed by all, encouraging curiosity and showing young people that science is part of everyday life.

The Exscite Trust was proud to support the annual Kudos Science Trust Science Spinners programmes in 2019-2021 and 2023-2024, a free, hands‑on STEM rotational programme for Waikato Year 9–13 students. 

The programme delivered fully interactive one‑day events led by Kudos scientists, STEM professionals, and digi‑tech experts, giving students practical, real‑world problem‑based learning experiences.

With Exscite Trust’s support, thousands of students across the region accessed the Creative Lab, STEMHub, and CODEHub programmes over the years; activities designed to build curiosity, confidence, and pathways into STEM, particularly for learners from lower‑decile schools, and with a strong focus on Māori and Pasifika success.

Each year, the events brought together hundreds of students, alongside scientists and STEM organisations, creating an inspiring environment that helped demystify science and encourage future innovators.

The Exscite Trust is proud to be a foundational supporter of House of Science, Central Waikato, providing funding to support the establishment of the Central Waikato branch and continuing to champion its growth today.

House of Science, Central Waikato,  provides hands‑on, curriculum‑aligned science resource kits to primary and intermediate schools, giving teachers high‑quality materials and engaging experiments that spark curiosity in young learners. Their kits cover everything from biology and chemistry to physics, technology, environmental science, and beyond—empowering thousands of tamariki to experience science in a fun, accessible, and meaningful way.

Through its support, the Exscite Trust helped to ensure that science education in the Waikato remains vibrant, equitable, and exciting, enabling more schools to access these valuable resources and inspiring the next generation of innovators, problem‑solvers, and critical thinkers.

Recently, the Government confirmed House of Science as the supplier for the nationwide roll out of science and pūtaiao kits. This recognition and national support will enable House of Science to provide curriculum aligned, hands on science kits for Year 0 to 8 learners in all state and state-integrated schools and kura. This will help teachers bring science to life in classrooms across the country.