The finals of the Vex Robotics Canterbury Challenge took place at Tūranga on Sunday 25 May and Burnside took out the podium!
Our Burnside teams consistently compete in top-tier Vex Robotics competitions, demonstrating impressive skill and dedication. We’ve even seen teams like Burnside High School’s 4067X achieve significant milestones, qualifying for and competing at the 2022 Vex Robotics World Championship in Dallas!
The progamme, run by Kiwibots, inspires and empowers the next generation of innovators and creative thinkers. They provide opportunities to develop communication, collaboration and creativity: skills that future-proof Kiwi kids. This is the only large scale robotics education competition covering all levels of schooling from primary through tertiary.
The concept is to use STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) in a fun and engaging way. Early engagement in STEM education enhances opportunities for the future. Teams work collaboratively or as independents to design, build, programme and operate robots which need to complete challenges. The challenges are global and change each year.
Last weekend’s Canterbury Challenge Finals saw Burnside enter six teams and the final consisted of Burnside v Burnside!
Congratulations to alliance partners Burnside X and Z who placed first and Burnside B and E, who took out the second place title.
Congratulations to X and Z members: Ezra Cheyne (Y12), Se-A Jin (Y12), Zach Brevoort (Y11), Miranda Yuan (Y11) and Calder Duke (Y9) and also Team B and E: Amy Lian(Y11), Flynn Sole(Y10), Aditya Bansal (Y13), Kobe Gardiner(Y10).
Their efforts, dedication and countless hours of preparation, designing and programming their robots was evident and they deserved to outpace their opponents. We believe it may be the first time that Burnside has dominated in such a manner – the organisers commentated on their skill level and preparation.
Sunday was the last chance for our teams to hone their skills before the exciting reveal of the new VEX game V5 Push Back and IQ game Mix & Match which are new challenges for robotics teams to embrace for the next year.
The national competition takes place in Auckland in February 2026.
