Web Conferences

Web conferences with schools are hosted live from the field by the LEARNZ Teacher and are coordinated by the LEARNZ Office. More about web conferences.

To book as a speaking school, email Shelley the LEARNZ Teacher shelley.hersey@core-ed.org.

Questions for web conference #1

Questions from Arahoe School

1. If the navigators had to navigate all the time, how could they survive with not sleeping at all?
2. When people were sailing in the ocean, how could they locate land?
3. When people were navigating what troubles did they have?
4. How were the rising and setting points of the stars and planets used as signposts?
5. How were the Sun and the waves used in navigation?

Questions from Ponsonby Primary School

1. Will the Matariki stars go away?
2. How far away is the closest Matariki star from Earth?
3. Were the stars of Matariki used for navigation?
4. Why do the Matariki stars only appear in mid-winter?

More questions from schools

1. What were the waka like that they explored on - what did they take with them when they voyaged for exploration?
2. Did they use any trigonometry in their navigation?
3. Why are there stories with 7 stars and some with 9 stars in Matariki?
4. Why does the date we celebrate Matariki on change?
5. Why is it so important to know how the maori navigated?
6. What was the first star out of the nine to appear in the sky?

Questions for web conference #2

Questions from Knights Stream School

1. How do you know where to find the Matariki stars? - Fox
2. How do you know where to go when the Matariki stars only come out one month in the year? - Amelia
3. How did Matariki become a special time in New Zealand? - Chloe
4. What tools did Captain Cook use to draw the map of New Zealand? - Viktor
5. What happened if Polynesian navigators couldn't see the stars on the boat? Toby

Questions from Ngatimoti School

1. What did Captain Cook and his crew eat? Alex A
2. How did Captain Cook navigate to New Zealand and home again? Did they use the stars? Alex C
3. How does a sextant work? Eloise
4. Why was Nick's head the body part they named Young Nick’s Head after? Did any other parts of New Zealand get named after someone? Ruby M
5. What happened to the other people on Captain Cook’s ship when he died? Gabriel.

More questions from schools

1. Were goats and pigs really needed to be dropped off on islands for shipwrecked sailors? Niheta
2. Are there nine or seven Matariki stars? Te Waahi
3. Where did sailors like Captain Cook stop to get food/supplies for their trips? Caelin, Pukekohe Hill School
4. How would sailors repair ships while at sea? Room 22, Pukekohe Hill School
5. Do captains (today) still train to navigate using these older methods in case modern technology fails while they are out at sea? Room 22 Pukekohe Hill School
6. Can only New Zealand see matariki or can other countries? Ashburton Intermediate
7. How did the sextant get it’s name? Ngatimoti School
8. Where did Captain Cook go to the toilet on the ship? Knights Stream School
9. Who was the first to see Matariki? When was it first celebrated?
10. Did Captain Cook hunt whales while on the Endeavour? Knights Stream School
11. Why is it important to know how Captain Cook navigated? Cory

Questions for web conference #3

Questions from Mataura Primary School

1. How do people make the shipping lanes that ships travel along?
2. Is a GPS better than a map, or do you need both of them?
3. Why do people still use paper charts as well as electronic charts?
4. Where do people go to learn how to use things like the azimuth circle, stadimeter or radar?
5. How do you get a job on a big shipping container?

Questions from Ilam School

1. How do you see modern marine technology moving forward from where it is now? Harsh
2. How accurate is echo-sounding and how do you actually calculate it? i.e. How much time passes between the sound and the echo for a depth of 100 metres for example? Medhar
3. How do marine navigation techniques vary between night and day? Soeren
4. If you were using radio technology I think storms and cloudy weather can create interference. Please explain if this is so or not. Connor
5. How do you actually create nautical charts from the information gathered using a multi beam? Tristen

More questions from NZ schools

1. Why is Matariki a Maori Myth?
2. When captain cook arrived to New Zealand what did he first discover
3. In your opinion is GPS better then the old way.from Isabelle and Deizjhan, Fergusson Intermediate
4. If you used a sextant or another marine device which device would be more accurate ? Indira, Fergusson Intermediate
5. How do you become a captain of a navigation ship? Nina, HCS school
6. How many navigation tools did Captain Cook use? Seddon School
7. What procedures are there if someone falls overboard? Moanataiari School
8. Does GPS show if there are big waves or storms nearby? Shermie, Pukekohe Hill
9. How would a major earthquake affect the topography under the sea? Connor, Ilanm School
10. Who would be the figurative father of modern navigation? Oskar, Ilam School
11. How many years did it take to move from a single beam to a multi beam for surveying the seabed? Emma, Ilam School