The team from St Mark’s School - made up of year 6 and 7 pupils Quinn Rudkin, Zaia Ormandy, Violet James and Leo Davey - has been invited to represent New Zealand at the International SeaPerch Challenge in Washington DC in May.
It comes after winning the primary school division at the NZ Aquabots nationals.
Teacher and coach Christy Yonetani said it was an extraordinary opportunity.
"It means the world to us," Yonetani said.
"Our tamariki appreciate that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and they are so excited to be taking their engineering skills to the global stage."
The journey started last year with a free build day organised by the Ministry of Inspiration, where pupils from primary schools across the country created and tested their first remote-operated vehicles (ROV) built from new and recycled parts.
Team DOT BOT won the Christchurch regionals, earning a place at the finals in Auckland in December.
DOT BOT is a robot designed to navigate underwater obstacles and challenges.
Yonetani said the aqua robot is required to perform tasks during the competition.
"Students need to think like engineers, designing, testing and improving their ROV to perform tasks, which simulate real-world marine conservation tasks, such as collecting coral samples and removing invasive species.
"They worked after school and on weekends rebuilding DOT BOT multiple times to create their best version."
Fifty middle school (11 to 13-year-old) teams, including those from America, China, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Brazil, will attend the competition.
Yonetani said the project was an enriching experience for the kids and herself.
"They are learning about engineering, physics and environmental conservation.
"I’ve been paid back a hundred-fold by the students."
The pupils were also keen to share their knowledge with other kids wanting to get involved in STEM projects.
- To get Team DOT BOT to Washington, donate at givealittle.co.nz/cause/from-national-champions-to-international-dreams
