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A Southland Girls High School student has taken out the top prize at the 2026 NZAS Southland Science and Technology Fair, beating 328 fellow competitors with a project that could change how we keep food fresh.
Aroha Ridzuan won the NZAS Premier Science Award for Beyond the Leaf: Mānuka & Kānuka; Exploring Past, Present & Future — an investigation into using chemical extracts from mānuka and kānuka to create a sticker capable of slowing spoilage and extending food freshness. She also picked up the NZAS Excellence in Science Year 7 & 8 and a Gold Science and Technology Award. Practical, local, and genuinely useful.
The Premier Technology Award went to Sam Lyness from James Hargest College (Junior Campus) for Rain Gain — a device designed to generate hydroelectricity as a complement to solar panels. His logic was hard to argue with: Southland gets far more rain than sunshine. Lyness also received the NZAS Excellence in Technology Year 7 & 8 and a Gold Award.
This year's fair, held at the Invercargill Workingmen's Club on Friday August 14, drew 215 exhibits from 329 students across 15 schools. A total of 208 prizes were awarded, including 37 special prizes from sponsors and 8 major prizes from NZAS.
Other standout winners included:
- Sophie Ineson, Southland Girls High School — NZAS Excellence in Science Year 11–13 for Guilt or Empowerment?, exploring how to shift public behaviour to protect sea lions. She also claimed four additional special awards and a Gold.
- Alex Morrison, James Hargest College — NZAS Excellence in Science Year 9 & 10 for Can You See Me?, testing how visible different camouflage colours are across New Zealand backcountry environments. Also took home the Nemesys Best Exhibit Related to Automation, NZAS Health & Safety, and a Gold.
- Sam McPherson, Waihopai School — NZAS Excellence in Science Year 5 & 6 for Best Helmet, tracing how firefighter helmets have evolved over 80 years — inspired by his father, a volunteer firefighter. Also received the NZAS Health & Safety Award and a Gold.
- Mohammad Ashar Khan, James Hargest College — NZAS Excellence in Technology Year 9 & 10 for NeighbourAid, an app connecting local volunteers with people in minor medical emergencies. Received a Silver Award.
The fair is named for and supported by New Zealand's Aluminium Smelters, with major backing from the Lion Foundation, ILT Foundation, Mataura Licensing Trust, Nemesys, NZ Coastal Society, and the Science Award Trust.
