The search for New Zealand’s next generation of brain researchers came to the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research on 24 June 2026.
More than 140 high-achieving Year 11 students gathered for the annual Brain Bee Challenge. The international neuroscience competition is designed to inspire high school students to learn about the brain and consider future careers in neuroscience.
Students earned their place at the North Island final by achieving the highest scores in a series of neuroscience quizzes held in schools throughout the year. The top ten then faced off in a live quiz held at the University of Auckland to determine the 2026 North Island Brain Bee champion.
Brain Bee winner 2026, Tianyi Lu from Rangitoto College, with Rich Easton, Neurological Foundation CEO. (pictured right)
Rangitoto College’s Tianyi Lu claimed the Brain Bee crown, and will go on to compete against the South Island winner for the title of New Zealand Brain Bee Champion.
Isabella Li, Grace West, Nitya Jaiswal and Vani Singh from Epsom Girls' Grammar took out first place in the teams event. Pictured with Roger Quartly of the Freemasons Foundation.
The top ten performing students were also awarded Neurological Foundation Brain Bee Internships. They will spend a day working alongside researchers at the Centre for Brain Research during the September school holidays.
A further nine internships were awarded on merit to students nominated by their teachers for their enthusiasm, curiosity and passion for neuroscience.
The team competition was equally competitive, with Epsom Girls Grammar School taking first place, Auckland Grammar School finishing second, and a composite Team of Rototuna High School and Rosmini College placing third.
Beyond the competition, students toured research laboratories, took part in hands-on neuroscience activities and met researchers working to understand and treat neurological conditions. Guest speaker Emma McShane shared her journey from competing in Brain Bee as a student at Mt Albert Grammar School, to rediscovering a passion for neuroscience at university, to her role today as a research technician at the Neurological Foundation Human Brain Bank.
"I remember, as a postgraduate student, seeing cells being reprogrammed in a lab for the first time. They were taking skin cells and turning them into brain cells. I thought that was incredible, it was a little bit like sci-fi," says McShane, who now prepares donated human brain tissue to support research into neurological conditions.
Students from Carmel College learn about brain anatomy at the Centre for Brain Research.
North Island Brain Bee coordinator Dr Amy McCaughey-Chapman said the competition gave students a glimpse into the fascinating careers that exist in neuroscience.
"This is the 20th year we have hosted the North Island Brain Bee final, which speaks to its success. We hope Brain Bee continues to pique the curiosity of talented Year 11 students and turn them into budding brain researchers, so they can join the team of world-class New Zealand neuroscientists working toward the common goal of improving the lives of those affected by neurological conditions.”
The North Island event is hosted by the Centre for Brain Research and supported by the Neurological Foundation and the Freemasons Foundation.