Canterbury of University engineering students, as representatives of Engineers Without Borders NZ, visited all the Year 9 classes to teach pupils about how engineers help people in developing countries have access to clean water.

Pupils had to consider and compare life in NZ to a life without easy access to sanitation, toilets, and clean water. Because 3 billion people live on less than $2.00 a day, this can be quite a challenge. They brainstormed how developing countries might get clean water, such as: collect rain water, boil water to kill off bacteria, use a water filter, or take water out of the ground by wells. Engineers Without Borders assist by considering the needs identified by the local community, then use appropriate, affordable and accessible technology for the people in that country to improve their health and lifestyles.

Pupils also participated in a simulation from various countries and had to build a filter to create clean water. Interestingly, some of the wealthier countries would not share their extra resources with the developing countries, which caused the other countries to steal the materials they needed to build their filter.