Manaiakalani Education Trust

and Our Partners

The Manaiakalani Education Trust (MET) began in 2011 to form a governance body in support of The Manaiakalani Programme (TMP) and in service of the schools. MET has been the vehicle that has enabled the group to afford on-going education research. This means that the activities resourced by our Public Good Partnership are evidence based, clearly linked to Achievement Challenges, and subject to external scrutiny at all times. MET also enables the micro financing of over 2000 learner owned devices across Manaiakalani schools. 

"We are fundamentally challenging the notion in New Zealand that just because you’re living in a low socio economic community you can’t do well at school." Chair of The Manaiakalani Education Trust, Pat Snedden, believes living in a low socio economic community should not determine your education outcomes nor your opportunities.

From the beginning we have reached out to potential allies and welcomed wide-ranging commitments. 

Our partners are essential to helping us achieve our vision of creating 21st century citizens who are ‘at home in a digital world’.

Their contributions – financial, services, resources, ideas, encouragement and credibility – are enabling the lives of every young person and every whānau across our network.  The success of this Programme has come in large measure from our collective ability to coalesce a new kind of partnership around the aspirations for success for our children. This partnership includes schools, philanthropy, government, business, community, parents, whānau, tertiary institutions and volunteers, all of whom buy in to the vision and intent for improved student outcomes.

Over time we developed a different kind of partnership with diverse groups: our growing school networks (including children and their families, teachers, principals and Boards of Trustees), philanthropic organisations, individual and corporate donors, educational academics and consultants, commercial partners, government agencies, technologists and volunteers.

Whānau are our principal partners, making major investments through the purchasing of their children's learning devices.

Foundation North

Foundation North (formerly ASB Community Trust) was our initial funding sponsor, injecting $1.2 million in 2011 to enable our staffing of the Manaiakalani Education Trust, develop infrastructure and bulk purchase digital devices, giving us the resource to develop dedicated administrative systems to run the programme. In 2015, the Foundation went on to support the first stage of Manaiakalani Outreach with a grant to help 4 other school clusters in Auckland and Northland to develop their own digital learning programmes based on the Manaiakalani model. In 2023, we are grateful that Foundation  North has again made a significant commitment towards supporting the Programme into the future. 

Toi Foundation
Toi Foundation  has been supporting schools in Taranaki since 2021, though an annual grant towards PLD facilitation, IT infrastructure, research  and teacher PLD activities. This partnership recognises our mutual commitment towards improving outcomes for children in Waitara, New Plymouth and the wider Taranaki area.

Vincent Capital

Vincent Capital became a funding partner in 2022,  reflecting its desire to contribute to the social and economic uplift  of disadvantaged children in New Zealand, and specifically the improvement of educational outcomes. With its three-year commitment, Vincent Capital's funding is helping to  sustain the successful delivery of the Manaiakalani programme of school transformation.

Google

Google NZ has been a significant supporter for over 8 years, and has helped fund the Manaiakalani Digital Teacher Academy and the Manaiakalani Digital Fluency Intensive programmes

Next Foundation

The Next Foundation announced a major grant in July 2015 to enable Manaiakalani to work with many more  school communities across New Zealand, helping them to develop their own digital learning programme based on the Manaiakalani model, and has been a major funding partner since.  View the NEXT Foundation video clip about Manaiakalani here

The Ministry of Education

Ministry of Education has supported research and PLD over many years, and  this funding has enabled the programme to expand now to 15 school communities across New Zealand. 

Humanitix

Humanitix  is the ticketing platform that dedicates 100% of profits to charity. By rewriting the rules of business to put humanity first, they offer the most sophisticated event ticketing platform for schools with lower fees, access to real human support, and dedicate all profits to charity. All good, no compromise. With tickets for good not greed, they have transformed over $18 million of booking fees to help provide access to education, healthcare and life’s basic necessities to millions of humans across the world. Manaiakalani is grateful to benefit from their generous donations over several years.  Read their latest Impact Report here.

Spark Foundation

Spark Foundation became a partner 2013. It invested in research into the outcomes being achieved so every New Zealand school can adapt or learn from its techniques; an Innovation Hub to push the boundaries of digital learning techniques to and share findings to support the open sharing of information, techniques and tools. The Spark Foundation grant was instrumental in enabling Manaiakalani to provide resources to support emerging digital learning school clusters, through direct provision of professional learning and development, device procurement and equity.

The Cooper Family 

The Cooper Family Charitable Foundation has made a significant investment in Manaiakalani though generous grants that in particular enable the Programme to support school communities in Tai Tokerau

KPMG

KPMG NZ  have supported Manaiakalani through sharing expertise, hosting our Manaiakalani Innovative Teachers , and hosting the exciting 'Class for a day' experience for children at their corporate offices 

Te Rau Puāwai Education Trust

Te Rau Puāwai Education Trust is helping build teacher effectiveness and capability with a  grant towards the Manaiakalani Reading Practice Intensive programme.

Restaurant Brands

Restaurant Brands have supported Manaiakalani though their fund managed by The Gift Trust

Genesis School-gen Trust and Genesis customers 

Thanks to Genesis School-gen Trust and Genesis customers for their donation of 200 brand new Chromebooks in 2020. This means that even more Manaiakalani learners will be able to continue their learning from home despite the closure of their schools during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Fusion Networks

Fusion Networks provides internet supply and designed the Tamaki Learning Net, a community wireless network that enables Tamaki students to access their learning over the internet from home. Our Trust has also negotiated a shared service agreement (replacing individual agreements) that offers efficiencies of scale, consistent service across schools and a platform for future development.

Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs

Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs gave us a grant in our early days to help establish our accountancy services, and to support school readiness.

SKYCITY Auckland Community Trust

SKYCITY Auckland Community Trust contributed to the Trust’s equity. Its commitment helps reduce the financial risk in our credit sale contracts with parents and will provide a buffer if debt management becomes a problem. It also provided a grant toward improving the school readiness of Tamaki pre schoolers.

Te Puni Kokiri

Te Puni Kokiri Ministry of Māori Development enabled our Trust to hire a staff member to engage with whānau. This engagement includes a training programme to show parents how to use netbooks, to look at their child’s work and to provide feedback. It also funded local youth in tertiary training to undertake part time work to support netbook teachers. This investment positions youth as role models in their own community and provides financial support for their studies. Manaiakalani benefits through the support they offer to our teachers.

Tāmaki Redevelopment Company

Tāmaki Redevelopment Company has contributed to the Tamaki College Drivers Licence programme.

Hāpara

Hāpara.com provides an innovative cloud solution called Hapara Teacher Dashboard which supports Visible Learning for our teachers, learners and whānau.

Woolf Fisher Research Centre

Woolf Fisher Research Centre, University of Auckland quality-assures our multi year research and evaluation programme.

Vector

Vector contributed to the construction and insurance of the Tamaki learning network which means that Tāmaki learners have internet access to enable learning at home, whatever their circumstances. 

i.am.angel

Will.i.am’s foundation i.am.angel donated $100,000 to the Manaiakalani Education Trust in a surprise visit to Point England School in early 2013.

Variety - the Children's Charity

Variety the Children’s Charity is helping ensure that no child, however poor their family, misses out on their opportunity for digital learning enablement.

Skills4Work

Skills4Work Inc helped with funding for  Manaiakalani ClassonAir for 3 years from 2017-2019

Perpetual Guardian

Perpetual Guardian has supported equity and access to learning for disadvantaged children through facilitating two grants from benefactors.