Young Māori innovators head to Silicon Valley

A total of 26 Māori students have been selected to take part in a visit to Silicon Valley with an aim to increase Māori participation and achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

The students, along with chaperones, have already left for the land of innovation in San Francisco, California and have a big adventure ahead.

The 26 rangatahi will visit Google and Stanford University where they will get to experience role modelling sessions and be exposed to a number of speakers from renowned start-ups.

NZQA's deputy chief executive Māori at New Zealand Qualifications Authority, Daryn Bean, says the programme aims to inspire rangatahi about the exciting career possibilities available to them both locally and globally.

"The programme will be evaluated and the students' progress tracked so that we can see how these experiences are reflected in their NCEA STEM subjects and subsequent STEM careers," says Bean.

There will also be an opportunity for the students to meet with some of their peers at the Ever Forward Club, an initiative aimed at raising inspiration and building strong communities for the African-American community.

The Āmua Ao programme is in partnership with Callaghan Innovation, NZQA and iwi, its aimed at teaching young people about taking risks, engaging with technology and giving things a go.

When the 26 students come back from their trip they'll be offered opportunities to build on the inspiration they've just experienced to ensure their interest is maintained and shared.

This isn't the first time the programme has been run, a successful trial was also completed in 2015.