About 2200 students from 40 Southland and Central Otago schools are taking part in the Science Roadshow this month, a travelling programme of more than 55 interactive exhibits and live shows that has picked up Southland lines company PowerNet as a new sponsor.

The roadshow is spending nine days in the south, visiting Gore, Invercargill, Winton, Riverton, Lumsden, Frankton and Wānaka, What's On Invers reported earlier this month. Each stop gives pupils a chance to work through exhibits on astronomy, movement, human performance, sight and illusion, with presenters running live science shows alongside.

PowerNet, which runs the electricity networks across Southland and parts of Otago, has come on board as a sponsor for the southern leg. Chief executive Paul Blue said the programme gave students a chance to explore science and technology beyond the classroom, and that it "brings science to life for students". He said the company hoped the experience might set some of them on the path to becoming electricians, engineers and project managers.

Science Roadshow director Ian Kennedy said PowerNet's support helped the programme reach more students, particularly in regional communities where access to this kind of experience can be limited. He said that when students "touch, test and explore scientific ideas firsthand" they begin to see how science connects to their own lives.

The Science Roadshow has been touring New Zealand schools for decades and is one of the few national science outreach programmes that routinely travels to small rural centres rather than expecting pupils to come to a city. Nationally it visits 110 locations each year and is expected to reach more than 40,000 students from more than 400 schools in 2026.

For Southland, where many primary and area schools have small rolls and long distances to the nearest museum or university, the roadshow's stops in Winton, Riverton and Lumsden mean pupils from the surrounding districts can be bussed in for a half-day session rather than a full-day trip to Invercargill.

The sponsorship adds to a run of school-focused community investment in the region this spring, following the opening of St Theresa's new FIFA-certified pitch and the Southland Young Enterprise regional awards.

Schools wanting to take part in future tours can register through the Science Roadshow, which publishes its annual itinerary online.