Muka-dying project wins top science award

Dunedin North Intermediate pupil Reina Wilkinson, 10, was pleased her science project picked up the year 7 and 8 premier award at the 2024 Aurora Energy Otago Science and Technology Fair prizegiving at Tūhura Otago Museum yesterday. Her science project experimented with dying muka — the fibre in New Zealand flax — using kitchen pantry items like beetroot, tea, coffee and turmeric. Reina’s project was among about 200 that judges spent most of the weekend analysing.