New Manukura campus opened

The new site was blessed by representatives of local hapū and iwi, including Tahuriwakanui, Rangitāne and Ngāti Raukawa, in a Tā i Te Kawa dawn ceremony held on Easter Monday. With more than 1000 people in attendance, it marked the commencement of a new era for Manukura, with a total transformation of the original site into state-of-the-art classrooms, an indoor sports and conditioning centre and outdoor playing courts and sports fields.

The new campus realises the long-held vision of Manukura’s founders, Nathan Durie and Yvette MacCausland-Durie.

“We wanted to bring our students closer to Massey University to create a more seamless transition into university, but also to normalise university pathways for students and whānau,” says Mr Durie.

Professor Emeritus Sir Mason Durie has also played a prominent role in helping to shape the focus of the initiative around Māori academic success and the promotion of pathways into university studies. As a result, the numbers of Manukura students attending the university are set to increase.

“Whereby at the time some were looking to fix problems, our people wanted to maximise opportunities for Māori success,” Sir Mason says.

Throughout the years, Massey has provided support for Manukura through the provision of Hokowhitu campus classrooms and access to the Recreation Centre, enabling students to maintain individualised strength and conditioning programmes for their respective sports. Manukura built a strong sporting reputation around their girls netball programme, as two-time national secondary school champions. More recently, they have ascended to the top of girls rugby in New Zealand, and are the current girls first 15 national champions and girls seven-aside national champions. They are also national title holders in secondary school touch rugby and waka ama.

After opening in 2005 with 12 students under the name Tū Toa, the kaupapa has continued to grow due to high demand from families across the country. In 2018, the Government announced $20 million of funding to build a permanent home on Massey’s campus. As a designated Special Character School, Manukura operates under the auspices of local hapū Tahuriwakanui, offering specialist secondary education that emphasises high performance sport, Māori cultural commitment and academic success.

The new precinct has specialist teaching classrooms, purpose-built amenities including a wharekai (dining room), kauta (food preparation area) and a nutrition class known as Te Kaupapa o Te Aroha. It also features dedicated teaching areas for digital technology, Science, te reo, hauora and mahi toi (art), as well as a performing arts centre known as Te Oha a Matawha.

The new indoor sports facility, Manawataki, offers two full sized sports courts to allow for competitions and tournaments. The campus will also allow Manukura to eventually increase its student numbers from 200 to 300, with hopes that number will continue to grow.

Principal Ilane Durie says she is proud of the ongoing academic achievements of her students.

“Manukura is currently ranked amongst the three highest academic achieving schools for Māori students in the country, with a University Entrance rate of 85 per cent and with an NCEA Level 3 or above achievement rate of 89 per cent. We‘ve had to work hard to get there and the ongoing achievements of our students are also testament to our hardworking staff, who give their all to ensure our students can succeed academically.”

Many of the current teaching staff are Massey alumni, including graduates of programmes such as Te Aho Tātairangi, Te Aho Paerewa and the Graduate Diploma in Learning and Teaching. Many staff maintain close and active connections to Massey across a range of kaupapa, programmes and initiatives and it is hoped that the ongoing partnership with Massey will promote new and exciting opportunities in the near future.

Since the opening, staff and students have undertaken an initial tour of Massey’s Manawatū campus to meet and greet new neighbours and to begin to build new relationships across the university.