House of Science NZ

What House of Science NZ does

House of Science NZ is an independent charitable organization headquartered in Tauranga, New Zealand, founded in 2013 by Chris Duggan. It equips primary and intermediate school teachers (Years 0-8) with bilingual (English and Māori) science resource kits and professional development aimed at raising scientific literacy among New Zealand children. Its operations are organized around 22+ volunteer-run regional branches spanning from Far North to Nelson, which together form a nationwide logistics and community-delivery network.

The organization's core product is a library of more than 40 curriculum-aligned science kits covering physics, biology, chemistry, earth science, and environmental science. Each kit contains at least five hands-on experiments with all consumables, bilingual student instructions, and teacher manuals. Notable technology-enhanced kits include 'The Heart' kit with AR and 360° video content and the Micro-Exploration kit with 10 digital microscopes (50x and 200x magnification) that connect to Google Docs for whole-class viewing. School access is managed via a web-based booking system at book.houseofscience.nz.

The business model combines a nationwide New Zealand Ministry of Education government contract for delivery to all state and state-integrated schools and kura, annual school membership subscriptions (priced by tier from 1 to 4 kits simultaneously, with pricing not publicly disclosed), tax-deductible donations, national and regional kit sponsorships (Genesis School-gen, Fonterra, NZAGRC, TECT, Baytrust, among others), and ancillary product sales such as microscopes through the online shop. The organization also participates in the Ministry of Education's Enriching Local Curriculum (ELC) panel, supplying field trips and expert classroom visits as a secondary service line. With 21 employees, the model is highly leveraged on a volunteer branch network rather than staff-heavy delivery.

Name

House of Science NZ

Legal name

House of Science

Website

https://houseofscience.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

House of Science NZ is a charitable organization that provides bilingual English/Māori science resource kits and teacher professional development to Years 0-8 students across New Zealand through 22+ volunteer-run branches and a nationwide Ministry of Education contract.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Science Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821)

akta.pro primary industry

Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation) (EDAMABAD)

Keywords

• Science education kits
• Primary school science
• Bilingual education resources
• Hands-on science curriculum
• Teacher professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Tauranga

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Contract: Primary revenue stream from government contract awarded by the New Zealand Government to deliver science and pūtaiao kits for Years 0-8 learners in all state and state-integrated schools and kura across Aotearoa New Zealand.
2. School Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership subscriptions for schools to access the library of science resource kits and teacher professional development.
3. Product Sales: Sale of microscopes and educational merchandise through the online shop.
4. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from community supporters to grow reach locally and nationally.
5. Kit Sponsorship: National and local kit sponsorship providing funding for kit development, purchase, maintenance, delivery and upkeep.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

House of Science NZ provides bilingual (English/Māori) science resource kits and curriculum-aligned hands-on learning materials to primary and intermediate schools (Years 0-8) across New Zealand. The organization operates a library of 40+ science kits covering physics, biology, chemistry, earth science, and environmental science, delivered through 22+ volunteer-run regional branches and accessed via annual school memberships. They also deliver the Enriching the Local Curriculum (ELC) service organizing field trips and expert classroom visits under a Ministry of Education contract.

Product overview

House of Science NZ operates a comprehensive library of bilingual science resource kits that serve as the organization's core product offering. The portfolio includes over 40 distinct science kits (such as Climate Change, The Heart, Micro-Exploration, Who Dunnit?, and Nano-Chem) covering physics, biology, chemistry, earth science, and environmental science for Years 0-8 students. Each kit contains at least 5 hands-on experiments with all consumables included. The organization also provides an ELC (Enriching the Local Curriculum) service for field trips and expert visits, and operates a School Membership Program enabling schools to borrow kits through an annual subscription. Schools access these resources through a network of 22 branches across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Science Resource Kits Library Award-winning bilingual science resource kit library for Year 0-8 students containing at least five hands-on experiments per kit, with all consumables, bi-lingual student instructions, teacher manuals, and curriculum alignment. Includes over 40 distinct kits covering physics, biology, chemistry, earth science, and environmental science, accessed through annual school membership.
• School Membership Program Annual subscription program that gives schools access to the House of Science kit library plus teacher professional development. Membership tiers are sized to school needs (one to four kits at a time), with reservations made through the online portal at book.houseofscience.nz.
• Enriching the Local Curriculum (ELC) Service Ministry-of-Education-approved extension service organizing field trips, expert classroom visits, and hands-on science enrichment activities (such as farm visits, stream quality testing, and bridge building with civil engineers) that connect classroom science to real-world contexts.
• Educational Merchandise and Microscopes Shop Online retail shop selling microscopes and branded educational merchandise directly to customers and schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of teachers equipped to deliver science lessons weekly
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, flagship and minor.

• Pūtahi ManawacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubject matter expert organization that helped develop science kits. Contributes expertise to kit development process.
• PowercocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubject matter expert organization contributing to science kit development.
• Marine Stewardship CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubject matter expert organization that contributed to kit development, particularly for ocean-related science kits.
• Genesis School-genmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational kit sponsor providing a copy of the 'Hot Stuff' kit for each branch - focuses on energy and heat science.
• FonterramajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational kit sponsor providing a copy of the 'Moo to You' kit for each branch - focuses on animal science and agriculture.
• NZAGRC (New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational kit sponsor providing a copy of the 'Climate Change' kit for each branch.
• MacDiarmid InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Zealand's top scientists from the MacDiarmid Institute helped develop the Nano-Chem kit.
• TECT (Tauranga Energy Charitable Trust)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Partner for Western Bay of Plenty branch. Local energy trust supporting science education in the region.
• BaytrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal sponsor for Western Bay of Plenty branch.
• Legacy FuneralsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal sponsor for Western Bay of Plenty branch.
• Acorn FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal sponsor for Western Bay of Plenty branch.
• New Zealand Government (Ministry of Education)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment contract holder to deliver science and pūtaiao kits for Years 0-8 learners in all state and state-integrated schools and kura across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Science Alive!: Christchurch-based science centre providing hands-on exhibits and school programmes in New Zealand. Comparable as a domestic NZ science education provider targeting school audiences, though via physical exhibits and visits rather than portable kits.
• Tūhura Science Centre (formerly Otago Museum science centre): NZ-based interactive science centre offering hands-on science experiences, school programmes and outreach. Comparable as a NZ-domestic provider of hands-on science education to schools, though facility-based rather than kit-library based.

Others

• Royal Society Te Apārangi: New Zealand's national science academy, which funds and supports science education initiatives and curriculum programmes. Comparable as an NZ science-education ecosystem stakeholder and potential collaborator/competitor for government education contracts.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Science Education Center: US-based science curriculum and professional development provider for K-12 schools, producing kits and lesson plans aligned to curriculum. Comparable as a large, established curriculum-aligned science education provider, though operating at much greater scale and internationally.
• Science World British Columbia: Large science centre and education provider with school programmes, kits and outreach. Comparable as a broader incumbent in hands-on science education for schools, though primarily facility-based.

Emerging players

• Little Passports: Subscription activity boxes for children including science themes. Comparable subscription kit model aimed at engaging primary-age learners, though consumer-direct rather than school-delivered.

Direct peers

• MEL Science: Monthly hands-on science experiment kits with digital/AR components delivered to subscribers. Comparable subscription science kit model with immersive digital layers similar to House of Science's AR/360° kit features.
• Steve Spangler Science: Science education kits and curriculum materials sold to schools and teachers, including experiment kits with consumables. Directly comparable as a hands-on science kit supplier targeting K-12 classrooms.
• KiwiCo: Subscription STEM/science activity kit service for children; very similar subscription-based kit model, though KiwiCo is consumer-direct globally rather than B2School. Comparable as the closest analogue for kit-as-a-service to young learners.
• Thames & Kosmos: Manufacturer and supplier of science kits covering physics, chemistry, biology and earth science for children. Comparable as a curriculum-aligned hands-on science kit provider, though primarily retail/distributor-led rather than subscription.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/house-of-science-nz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about House of Science NZ