MOTAT – Museum of Transport and Technology
MOTAT opened in 1964 and since then has been explored and enjoyed by millions of visitors. MOTAT is New Zealand’s largest transport and technology museum with a focus on creating an interactive and educational experience for its vistors.
STEM Fair 2025
Discover the fascinating world of science, tech engineering and maths at the 2025 STEM Fair!
This exciting two-day fair celebrates the best of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in Aotearoa. Held in Te Puawānanga our new Science and Technology Centre, specialist exhibitors from leading organisations will engage and inspire Kiwi kids, showcasing rewarding careers in STEM through demonstrations and hands-on activities.
Whether your tamariki dream of being a doctor, police officer, or game designer, the MOTAT STEM Fair offers an interactive, classroom-free environment where kids of all ages can explore ground-breaking technology.
Get up close to some of New Zealand’s top STEM institutions and see the innovative work shaping the future. Whatever your tamariki are into, there will be something to inspire them and show just how fun STEM can be.
https://www.motat.nz/events/stem-fair-2025/
Teachers visit for free this April!
We’re celebrating teachers with free entry at MOTAT for the whole month of April.
If you are a teacher or teaching support staff in a primary, intermediate or secondary school or early childhood centre, you and your whānau can enjoy free entry to MOTAT throughout April.
It’s our way of giving a little something back to those who are helping to inspire our young innovators of tomorrow.
We’ve changed the eligibility and redemption criteria for this offer, so come back to this page from 15 March to see how to apply for the free entry offer and how to redeem it.
You will also need to bring in your current Practicing Certificate or School ID as proof of working in a primary, intermediate or secondary school, or early childhood centre. Home school educators are also eligible for this offer.
https://www.motat.nz/events/teachers-visit-for-free-this-april/
Push, pull and spin – forces at work!
Our new Forces and Motion programme gets students exploring forces and how they cause the things around us to move. Bring your class to MOTAT to discover exciting forces, such as those in tug -of-war and how to measure the speed of launched objects.
Your visit to MOTAT includes the chance to explore Te Puawananga, our new science and technology centre. Students can explore with forces even further in this exhibition by sliding down the friction slide and experimenting with pulleys and levers to lift the heaviest weights. This programme is suitable for Years 4-8 and is available onsite at MOTAT, and as a STEAM Cell which we bring to you.
You can continue the learning back in your classroom with the Forces and Motion Learnable kit.
With this kit, students create moving models and complete a range of experiments to expand their knowledge of forces and motion even further.
The science of sound, the magic of music
In our Sound programme, students explore sound waves, vibration, and how sound travels through different mediums (air, water, solids) and apply their understanding to real world applications like music players and musical instruments. While here at MOTAT, students can continue their learning in our Make Music exhibition, experimenting with different ways to make sound, discovering unusual instruments – and making some noise!
Make Music is only at MOTAT until May, so book now!
https://motat.nz/learning/programmes/science-and-engineering
Bringing the learning to you
Our STEAM Cell trailers are ready to visit your school with fantastic learning experiences, designed in collaboration with you. STEAM cells are full of specialised equipment, teaching resources and collection items from our museum. This is a popular option as there’s no need for buses or organising parent supervisors. We come straight to you early in the day and stay until school finishes. This means cost savings with travel and no wasted time getting to and from locations. https://www.motat.nz/learning/steam-cells