Teacher information and resources to support competition entry into the 2026 INTERFACE Student Minecraft Competition.
INTERFACE Student Minecraft Competition 2026
This year we have again partnered with INTERFACE Magazine to create a new student Minecraft student challenge.
Entries close 25th September 2026 (end of Term 3).
The Challenge: 'Forever Fisheries - From Ocean to Plate'
It’s your job to create a MINECRAFT world that helps New Zealand’s fisheries thrive. From ocean to plate, we want you to secure a better future! Your world should focus on a specific part of the process. It could:
- Protect fishing habitats or
- Catch fish the sustainable way or
- Responsibly process and transport seafood or
- Use science and research to support sustainable fishing practices or
- Serve it up in a restaurant or shop
2026 INTERFACE Student Minecraft Competition
It’s your job to create a MINECRAFT world that helps New Zealand’s fisheries thrive. From ocean to plate, we want you to secure a better future!
Your world should focus on a specific part of the process.
It could:
- Protect fishing habitats
- Catch fish the sustainable way
- Responsibly process and transport seafood
- Use science and research to support sustainable fishing practices
- Serve it up in a restaurant or shop
SHORT FILM: Sustainable fishery case study - NZ Albacore Tuna
TEACHER LESSON PLANS
Five curriculum aligned teacher lesson plans for the following activities:
Activity 1: Open Ocean Habitat
Activity 2: Food chains and food webs
Activity 3: Sustainable fishing
Activity 4: Ocean to plate journey
Activity 5: Reducing fishings environmental impacts
Other useful resources for teachers
Six takeaways about the state of the world’s fisheries
The State of the World’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Report (SOFIA) 2024 provides the latest data on the fishing sector and key trends related to overfishing, seafood production and seafood consumption. Here are six takeaways (some a little surprising) about the current state of the world's fisheries.
Overfishing
Overfishing is a serious global problem that threatens ocean wildlife and biodiversity. Loss of marine life brings a further threat to the millions of people who rely on seafood for protein and livelihoods.
Sustainable fishing
Fish swim around and need time to grow and re-produce. Sustainable fishing allows this to happen while protecting habitats and threatened species.
Bycatch in a bucket (game)
Play this simple game in your classroom to gain understanding about how hard it can be to catch your target fish and not bycatch!
Fishy factsheet & worksheet
How do fish breathe? What is a fish made of? This factsheet and worksheet will demystify some basic biology and ecology of fishes.How do fish breathe? What is a fish made of? This factsheet and worksheet will demystify some basic biology and ecology of fishes.
Ngā ika moana (New Zealand fishes) cards and Kahoot!
Printable cards to help identify ngā ika moana, fishes of Aotearoa New Zealand. Includes supporting activities (including a Kahoot! quiz).
QMS worksheet
Use this worksheet to understand more about how we manage fisheries in Aotearoa New Zealand using the QMS (Quota Management System).
Fishing method cards
A fun way to learn about the different methods of fishing.
Scientific key activity to learn about fish adaptations
Identify fish body, eye, mouth, tail fin, pectoral and dorsal fin shapes. Includes simple easy to use scientific keys.
"My Dad the Fisherman"
A short film that explores the idea of sustainable fishing. Find out about what’s involved in fishing, what a fishery is, and about the challenges fishers face.
Worksheet 'A fisheries scientist story'
Learn a little about the important work of New Zealand fisheries scientists. Read about the life of a fisheries scientist and answer some simple multi choice questions to check how well you read.
Kahoot! Quizzes
Explore our Kahoot! quizzes to learn more about Aotearoa New Zealand fisheries and sustainable fishing.
Other lesson plans for inspiring new ideas!
Overfishing and sustainable fishing
Includes: - importance of the sea; overfishing; sustainable fishing; MSC label (Blue Fish Tick)...
Science and the sustainable catch
Includes: sustainable fishing & sustainable catch; maximum sustainable yield (MSY); scientists and science; how fish stocks are assessed in Aotearoa; fisheries that decline...
Fisheries Management
Includes: sustainable fisheries management; traditional fisheries management; how fish stocks are assessed in Aotearoa; Quota Management System (QMS); EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone)...