Zac Miller-Waugh named Pokémon Scholar

For Zachary Miller-Waugh, innovation has never been just about technology. It is about people. Some of the key people in his life are those he’s met through Waipapa Taumata Rau the University of Auckland.

Zac made the decision to come to Auckland from Whangārei after a high school campus tour revealed something unexpected: a makerspace open to students from day one.

“Knowing there was a place on campus to make and experiment outside of class was one of the reasons I eventually chose to study at the University of Auckland.”

When he enrolled as an undergraduate engineering student, the makerspace within innovation hub Kura Matahuna Unleash Space quickly became a second home. Drawn to the space between engineering and design, Zac found that the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) offered more than equipment and programmes. It offered belonging, a place where technical curiosity and community-building instincts could coexist. He says the networks and experiences he built at CIE have opened a world of opportunity.

Today, Zac is studying MA/MSc Innovation Design Engineering at the Royal College of Art in London, inspired in part by conversations with a fellow CIE alum.

“From the stories I’d heard, Innovation Design Engineering took the mechanics of making and pushed it to the limits. Getting to design and create as a full-time job is my dream.”

Moving overseas for the first time meant leaving family and friends in Aotearoa. Eighteen months in, Zac says the leap has been transformative.

“I’ve grown and developed as a person. The projects have introduced new concepts and practices, and I’ve formed deep friendships. It’s been incredible being exposed to so many new ideas, people and places. I’ve continued building communities through clubs and events, exploring what it takes to create familial spaces for making.”

Zac has spent late nights in robotics labs, volunteered at 26-hour hackathons, designed lighting for sold-out musicals and collaborated in shared creative spaces.

His recent project, DropTest, reflects the direction of his work. The biodiversity sampler uses eDNA to ensure consistent, contamination-free ocean water samples, combining research and engineering to support environmental restoration.

For his final Master’s project, Zac is turning his focus back home.

“It will revolve around Aotearoa’s conservation. Being away has made me miss New Zealand terribly. We’re incredibly lucky to be surrounded by beautiful wildlife and forests. I’d love to help keep that around for the next generation.”

Alongside his design work, Zac helped start Terrible Ideas, an event encouraging participants to design the most “terrible, awful, brilliant ideas” imaginable, from emotional appliances to funeral piñatas.

“The only thing as cool as making awesome things is being around others making awesome things.”

For Zac, hackathons and creative challenges offer something traditional learning environments often cannot: low-stakes experimentation, shared ownership, and moments of joyful unpredictability.

“The most lasting communities happen when people feel agency and ownership. Some of my favourite moments have come from a careful mix of planning and intentional catastrophe.”

A Pokémon Scholar

Last year, Zac was named a 2025/2026 Pokémon Scholar. The annual scholarship supports Royal College of Art students who demonstrate pioneering endeavours in channelling their creative energy for art and design to enrich the world we live in. As a recipient, Zac received funding support and an invitation to visit The Pokémon Company in Japan.

“I really wish I could say I’ve been playing Pokémon since I was a child,” Miller-Waugh laughs. “I grew up without game consoles or regular TV.”

Still, the scholarship has sparked what he describes as a new obsession.

Looking ahead, Zac hopes to run an experimental innovation lab or prototype next-generation technologies.

“When I’m excited about a project, it’s because I’m thinking about the impact it will have on people’s lives.”

His advice to current students is simple.

“Go. Do it. The imposter syndrome is real, and we often think of ourselves as small in a big world. But I’ve found myself fitting in with people I never expected to, doing things I never imagined. It’s hard, and moving overseas isn’t easy, but if it’s something you think you can do, it’s worth finding out.”