The EPro8 Challenge is an inter-school competition focused on science and engineering. Each year, more than 25,000 students from across New Zealand join the challenge.

The EPro8 Challenge is an inter-school competition focused on science and engineering. Each year, more than 25,000 students from across New Zealand join the challenge. Students first compete in events within their own schools, followed by inter-school competitions. These events are designed to foster skills in science, engineering, and problem-solving, making the challenge both educational and engaging for participants.

On the 20th of June, we hosted an in-school EPro8 competition to determine which teams from Breens would advance to the upcoming championship at Russley School. In preparation for this event, around eight teams had been diligently practising for a week, honing their skills and strategies. Unfortunately, due to the competition's structure, we were only able to send two teams to represent our school. Each team, comprising 3-4 students, was provided with a 24-kilogram kit containing various materials such as aluminium lengths, bolts and wingnuts, pulleys, rope, measuring tape, and gears. These materials formed the basis for the three challenges we attempted to complete that morning.

The challenges available for us to tackle were the Puppet Show, Buzzy Bee, and the Queen’s Throne. The Buzzy Bee challenge was arguably the easiest, involving tasks like determining the dimensions of a full-scale EPro8 Buzzy Bee from a scaled-down version. Each challenge had multiple components and criteria to meet, each worth a certain number of points. The two teams with the highest scores would win the competition. This event provided an amazing opportunity for all the students involved, and the enthusiasm and effort displayed by everyone were truly inspiring. 

The competition was a tight one, and everyone performed great and worked amazingly well with their teams. Just as soon as it had started, the competition finished and the 2 hour timer rang. By then, two teams had made it to the top ; The Fried Pickles (Sam M, Arthur, Maia from Hiwai and Felix from Mapuna) and The Smanhattan Project (Brayden, Krishanu, Caleb M from Mapuna and Caleb B from Hirere), and on the 25th of July they will head to Russley to compete in the Regionals.

By Sam and Krishanu