2025 NWRSTF
Health and Safety, and EthicsHealth and safety
Research projects and activities should not put students in situations where their health or safety is at risk. Before you undertake any experiments for your project you should consider the risks associated with your project that could put you, or others, in harms way.
The following links and guidance are good places to start to understand how to consider health and safety considerations within your project:
Health and safety within schools
Safety and ethical considerations from TKI.
Safety and science
Revised Edition (2007)
Safety and technology education: a guidance manual for New Zealand schools
Ethics
The NIWA Wellington Regional Science and Technology Fair follows the guidelines set out by the Royal Society Te Apārangi and the National Association of Science Educators guidelines for research.
The section on CREST projects on the Royal Society Te Apārangi website is very similar to the science fair in terms of ethics practise and standards and provides information and templates that are useful.
Animal ethics
Under the Animal Welfare Act 1999, research and teaching involving the manipulation of live animals may require approval from an ethics committee. Students conducting any investigation involving animals MUST seek ethics approval in advance of commencing their project. The only exception to this is if the investigation involves invertebrates.
Students interested in completing a project involving animals should refer to the NAEAC flowchart. This will lead students to: Any research testing or teaching carried out on vertebrates or octopi, squid, crabs, lobster, or crayfish may require AEC approval and should not proceed.
Please note that the AEC (Animal Ethics Committee) is not currently taking any applications. This means that in any instance where the student or teacher is carrying out an investigation with vertebrates or octopi, squid, crabs, lobster or crayfish (or they are unsure), they cannot proceed until AEC is accepting applications. If you need any further information, please contact AEC directly (animalethicscommitteenz@gmail.com). NIWA WRSTF is unable to provide guidance to students or teachers on Animal Ethics. We recommend contacting the AEC for further information on when they will be accepting applications.
Please visit the Animal Ethics website for more information: Schools’ Animal Ethics Committee
Human ethics
If you are conducting experiments using people, you will need to get permission from those involved in the form of a signed consent form. For projects involving children under 16 years old, you will need to have the permission of their parents or guardians as well. For more information, refer to the section on CREST projects on the Royal Society Te Apārangi website.
You can find forms for human ethics planning, and Human Consent for ANY human participants.