FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TAURANGA, NZ, 15 JULY 2024 — The inaugural Maker Festival (MakerFest) planned for October 2024 has been postponed due to insufficient sponsorship support.
Since the beginning of the year, STEM Wana has been working hard to put together a world-class event that would inform, engage, and inspire the community in celebration of the maker movement. But funding challenges have put the plans on hold.
“As many people are aware, we rely heavily on community funding and corporate sponsorship to enable us to host our large-scale festivals,” said founder Tia Lush. “The current economic situation and financial uncertainty have prevented us from raising enough funds to deliver the event quality and scope our community has come to expect.”
She continues: “The decision to postpone such a unique festival that has so much potential was not an easy call to make. We understand that many in our community will be disappointed at this news, but we are developing other engaging STEM initiatives for our families and young people. Keen makers should visit www.tinkd.nz for more information about Tinkd Makerspace and follow @stemwanatrust on instagram and facebook.”
The Board of STEM Wana thanks all the makers, suppliers, partners and supporters who have shown interest in participating in MakerFest and for their continued contribution to the Maker cause. MakerFest will now be scheduled for October 2026.
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For all media queries, please contact:
Soraya Hebert – Project Manager – email: hello@stemwanatrust.nz
About STEM Wana Trust
A registered Charity in New Zealand working to promote awareness of opportunities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to young people and their families through community events, collaborations and meaningful partnerships. Tauranga STEM Festival (STEMFest) 2019 was the first large-scale event in the Trust’s portfolio of community based projects and has won two community event excellence awards.