Christchurch students help build Antarctic Minecraft game
Young people around the world can now discover Antarctica’s rich history of exploration in a whole new way, through the global gaming phenomenon, Minecraft.
The project is part of the Antarctic Heritage Trust’s Inspiring Explorers Education™ programme, which has launched a new Minecraft world designed to engage young people with Antarctica’s rich legacy of exploration.
Minecraft is a virtual sandbox game that allows players to build and explore immersive 3D worlds using digital blocks. It’s a powerful tool for education, creativity, collaboration and is increasingly used in classrooms across the globe.
Students across Aotearoa can step into a meticulously recreated Minecraft world of Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Discovery hut, the first expedition base built on Antarctica’s Ross Island more than 121 years ago.
To create the Antarctic world, the Trust partnered with WDekkers Digital and 12 students from Shirley Intermediate, who helped build the initial version of Scott’s Discovery hut as part of the Greater Christchurch Schools Network Kāhui Ako Digital Project, which supports digital fluency in schools.
WDekkers Digital Education Consultant and Project Facilitator Wilj Dekkers, says the world was co-created with students from the very beginning, after asking them what they’d like to see and do if they were in an Antarctic Minecraft landscape.
“When students learned that Scott’s Discovery Hut was too cold for the crew to sleep in and was only used for storage and to support their science, they got excited about the challenge of creating a new hut with their own improvements,” says Dekkers.
“Every time I worked with the students I was blown away by their creativity and problem-solving skills. These kids were coming up with amazing solutions.”
Dekkers says the educational benefits go far beyond just engagement.
“Most students are already familiar with Minecraft so the engagement levels are high in classrooms, but the programme also utilises key skills that are essential for student learning like teamwork, problem-solving and collaboration,” Dekkers says.
The 45-minute Minecraft activity will be delivered by Antarctic Heritage Trust’s Inspiring Explorers Education™ team in year 7 and 8 classrooms around Aotearoa alongside the Trust’s virtual reality experience of the same hut, allowing an entire class to engage in the Antarctic landscape in one session.
Shirley Intermediate students were among the first to explore the finished Minecraft world when it officially launched on 3 November 2025. These students were amongst the first to try it out this week. They received a special preview in recognition of the incredible work they did to help create the Minecraft world.
One of the student developers, Shaker, described the experience as a proud moment. “This is a big achievement because everyone around the world will use it, and we’re the ones who made it.”
Designed as a collaborative classroom activity, students begin their journey aboard Scott’s ship, the RRS Discovery, before going ashore to meet early explorers and learn about life on the Ice. Working in small groups, they complete tasks including searching for artefacts inside the historic hut, building kennels for the expedition’s huskies and designing and constructing their own Antarctic hut, complete with survival essentials. Students can even export a 3D model of their hut to share with friends and family.
The new resource complements the Trust’s cutting-edge virtual reality experience of Scott’s Discovery Hut, which has already transported thousands of people, both in New Zealand and internationally, into the heart of Antarctic exploration.
Francesca Eathorne, Antarctic Heritage Trust’s Executive Director, says the programme is delivered free to schools thanks to the Trust’s generous donors.
“We strive to innovate to bring Antarctica to students in interactive and immersive ways they will look forward to taking part in. We focus on making it exciting to learn about Antarctic history and the important role New Zealand played in the early exploration of this fascinating continent and the role it continues to play today.
“We want to inspire the next generation to understand the importance of Antarctica’s cultural heritage as they will be our ambassadors to advocate and protect it into the future.”
Schools can request a visit from the Trust’s education team at nzaht.org, or access the Minecraft world directly via the Minecraft Education platform from mid-November 2025, supported by free online resources and instructions.
The Trust acknowledges the generous support of the Greater Christchurch Schools Network, WDekkers Digital, and donors to the Inspiring Explorers™ Fund.
We have a goal of reaching over 5,000 young people each year through our Inspiring Explorers™ youth programme. With help from people like you, we can bring Scott’s Discovery Hut Minecraft to even more young people. Learn more and give today at nzaht.org/donate-inspiring-explorers.
