Manurewa High School is an amazing place to test new approaches and shape the future. Progressive school leaders encourage innovation and support wide-ranging opportunities for student learning.

Our large multi-cultural community embodies richly diverse perspectives, life experiences and aspirations. We’re a South Auckland school of 2,100 students, with around 25% Maaori, 25% Samoan, 25% other Pasifika cultures and 10% Asian, and in total around 50 nationalities. When you include whaanau that makes a community of around 6,000 people. As a decile one school, a high proportion of our whaanau also experience financial hardship and other challenges.

This case story focuses on The Manurewa High School Business Academy Makerspace. Recognising the innovative potential of makerspace education, Auckland Council’s South Auckland champion of social and community innovation, The Southern Initiative (TSI), worked strategically in various ways to help us establish a school-based makerspace. The Ministry of Youth Development, Perpetual Guardian Foundation and The Hynds Foundation also joined forces to provide crucial innovation funding.

TSI and Perpetual Guardian Foundation commissioned this case story. These partners wanted to better understand, and enable others to appreciate, how we developed Makerspace, how it works, a mentoring approach, the benefits, key lessons, current challenges and future possibilities.

July 2019

See also

The Southern Initiative