Coming up...

Watch this space for info about our next events and displays.

 

If you have an idea for something mathsy you'd love to see or collab with us for, let us know! 

You can read what sorts of things we've got up to previously below.

Mathateca Logic Puzzle Workshops
Mathapoetica: Mathematical Poetry Workshop

 

Join us at the CWEA on Sunday 3rd August for an exciting three-hour workshop exploring the poetry of mathematics and the maths of poetry. All backgrounds and levels of experience are welcome, from maths-phobic poets to mathematicians who’ve never seen a sonnet!

 

Delivered in collaboration with the Canterbury Poets’ Collective.

Show Your Working. Hear from professionals about the maths behind their work.
Show Your Working

Christchurch City Libraries Speaker Series @ Tūranga

 

This November, come along to a night of presentations by professionals about the interesting ways they use maths in their work. Featuring:

 

How Surveyors use Maths by Phil Dewar and Alex Liggett

Statistics: The Backbone of the Global Seed Industry by Kelly Evans

Software Engineering for Geoscientists by Kelsey Vavasour


🗓️ 6:00PM – 7:00PM, Thursday, November 13, 2025
📍TSB Space, Level 1 Tūranga, 60 Cathedral Square

Mathateca Logic Puzzle Workshops
Nerd Nite #39: For the love of maths

 

This April Fools Day, Mathateca are collaborating with Nerd Nite Christchurch to bring you an evening of entertaining talks in a pub about the maths behind juggling, human anatomy and crafting - be there AND be square!

 

🗓️ 6:30 - 8:30 PM, Wednesday 1 April

📍A Rolling Stone, 579 Colombo Street, Christchurch Central

 

Tickets $15 /$10

Mathateca Logic Puzzle Workshops
Exercise Your Brain with Logic Puzzles!

 

Join us on Level 4 at Tūranga, Christchurch's Central Library on the second Sunday of every month from 3:00pm - 4:30pm for our free logic puzzle workshops delivered by New Zealand's top puzzle solver, James McGowan.

 

Whether you're new to logic puzzles or looking to sharpen your skills, come along to train your brain and have a good time!  

Join Mathateca at the Festival of Women and Girls in Science banner
Women and Girls in STEM

 

Join us at Tūranga from 10am-3pm Saturday 21st February for an inspiring and hands-on STEM expo perfect for scientists aged 5-15 and their whānau.

Mathateca Logic Puzzle Workshops
Tabletop Tūranga - a free boardgame festival for Canterbury

 

Join friends old and new for a weekend of tabletop gaming at Christchurch's Central Library. All welcome, from seasoned gamers to those who are brand new to the hobby. Mathateca will be running the maths of Hex activity on Saturday 7th and the maths of Mancala on Sunday 8th, with round robin tournaments in the afternoons both days to test your skills.

🗓️ Saturday 7th - Sunday 8th June, 2025
📍Tūranga, 60 Cathedral Square

Pi Day Calculation-a-thon 

Calling one-and-all to attempt to calculate as many digits of pi as we can, using nothing but paper and pencil.


This pi day, number enthusiasts in Christchurch are gathering to continue calculating as many digits of pi as we can by hand. If you can do long division (or are willing to learn) then you have the required skills to participate.

 

Come along to rooms 222 and 223 of Rātā building at the UC campus, anytime from noon-5pm on Saturday 14th March to help us in our monumental calculation endeavour!

Past events

Make A Pop up 4D Cube | Women and Girls in STEM Whānau Day Expo 2026

 

For the third year running, Mathateca teamed up with Christchurch City Libraries to run a joint table at the Festival of Women and Girls in STEM Whānau day expo, alongside other exhibits run by the University of Canterbury, Canterbury Museum, Science Alive! and more. The aim of the festival was to inspire curiosity and passion for science in girls and young women through engaging hands-on activities, interactive demonstrations, and meaningful connections with women scientists.
Mathateca secretary Amy R. (left) and Mathateca chair Rata I. (right) together at the Mathateca table at the expo.

 

Our activity was making pop-up four-dimensional cubes (or rather, three dimensional projections of 4D cubes) with the help of the library's Cameo craft cutter and some glue. It resulted in many a conversation about the mind-bending maths of 4D space.

Mathateca secretary Amy R. holds up a completed pop-up hypercube model. The cube is made from white care and the backing card is black. On the desk in front of her a dissection puzzle and several coloured pens and bits of paper can be seen. The Cameo craft cutter and an iPad promoting CCL's creative spaces are behind, to her left.

We were also kitted out with some interactive puzzles, info about the NZ Mathematical Olympiad, and some of the library's best maths books.

The Mathateca and CCL stand at the expo, as seen from the event entrance. Some maths books are on display in the foreground, including "Grasping Mysteries", "Tessellations", "There's Math in my Origami!", "Math Art", "Visualizing Mathematics with 3D printing", "D-forms" and "Surfaces", "The Five Sides of Marjorie Rice", "Nothing Stopped Sophie" and "Polyhedron Models"

 

Event listing: https://christchurch.bibliocommons.com/v2/events/696983a30c4aad14d374c9ea