Pupils at New Lynn Primary School, West Auckland, having turns at handling a live Avondale spider, Delena cancerides, an Australian huntsman spider established in the Avondale region of Auckland since the 1920s. Photograph: Chris Hoult, Western Leader, 10 August 2000.

Purpose of this site

This site is especially for primary students of years 2-6 and their teachers. It provides:

• information about the insects and spiders found in New Zealand/Aotearoa in an easy-to-use format.
• general information on insects and spiders suitable for levels 2 and 3 of the Science curriculum, "Making Sense of the Living World".

There are some images of New Zealand spiders and insects on this site. Use the links page to search for further images. The Landcare Research New Zealand Terrestrial Invertebrates page is the gateway to images and information about specimens and species in the New Zealand Arthropod Collection (NZAC).

This information was originally prepared for providing "Spider and Insect" talks to students of low-decile primary schools in South and West Auckland, under a grant from the Science and Technology Promotion Fund administered by The Royal Society of New Zealand.

The purpose of the grant was to raise children's awareness of spiders and insects and the ecosystems in which they live, and promote interest and understanding of New Zealand's indigenous species and ecosystems. Ninety percent (90%) of New Zealand's insect and spider species are found nowhere else in the world.

Suggested citation: Hall, G.; Hoare, R.J.B.; Crosby, T.K. 2001: Insects and spiders of New Zealand/Aotearoa. www.LandcareResearch.co.nz/education/insects_spiders/

© Copyright Landcare Research, 2001. This information may be copied and distributed to others without limitation, provided Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd and the source of the information is acknowledged. Under no circumstances may a charge be made for this information without the written permission of Landcare Research.