MANUKURA

Maycroft Construction partnered with Designgroup Stapleton Elliott for the Design and Build of this new school campus on a greenfield site adjacent to Massey University in Palmerston North. When complete, the new campus will be set to provide modern learning spaces, sports facilities and a wharekai for 300 students.

MANUKURA are a special character school with a strong focus on academia, Kuapapa Maori and sports. They skillfully interweave their pedagogy into practice by scheduling sports at the beginning and end of each day. In between physical activity, the students focus on academic subjects with a structured individual learning plan.

Academic studies are housed in ‘learning hubs’ which are split into two communities, each centred around a group gathering space with further specialist spaces in-between. These hubs are connected around a lobby space that is used for whole school gatherings, eating breakfast and lunch, as well as being a general learning and admin space. In their short history, beginning in 2005 under the name of TŪ TOA, MANUKURA engaged the support of some of New Zealand's leading academics, sporting high performers, iwi, and practitioners to lay a platform for an education model that would ensure they would change the landscape of Māori education. Their link to Aorangi Marae is a reminder of the importance in taking a stand for your beliefs and people with commitment and persistence to carve our own pathways toward excellence.

The symbolism of “kia aorangi ake”, entwined in their waiata and haka, is a connection to both Aorangi Marae and the message to continually seek new levels of excellence. In 2015, MANUKURA was officially recognised by the Ministry of Education, and granted Special Character School designation. This new build is recognition of the results and accolades that MANUKURA has accomplished academically, in Kaupapa Māori, and in sport.