Manaiakalani

What Manaiakalani does

Manaiakalani is a New Zealand non-profit educational organisation that operates the Manaiakalani Programme, a digital education framework built around a proprietary Learn, Create, Share pedagogy. The programme serves primary and secondary schools across New Zealand, reaching 3,500+ directly enrolled learners and 30,000+ learners within digital learning environments, organised through an original Tāmaki cluster and 11+ named regional outreach clusters spanning Northland, Auckland, Waikato/Horowhenua, Taranaki, Gisborne, and Christchurch. Its core technology stack is built on Google Workspace Education Plus, with integrations to Hāpara (student management), Explain Everything (interactive screencasting for iPad-based rewindable learning), and edublogs (learner publishing). Product surface includes the Digital Fluency Intensive (a nine-day teacher professional development programme), Class OnAir (a searchable video library of real classroom teaching), Cybersmart (digital citizenship curriculum), Te Reo Māori and Manaiakalani mo Pasifika (culturally responsive programmes), and a Secondary School Support hub.

The organisation is governed by the Manaiakalani Education Trust (MET), a charitable trust established in 2011 as a Public Good Partnership with the New Zealand Ministry of Education. Revenue is derived from a mix of government funding (Ministry of Education), philanthropic grants (Foundation North, NEXT Foundation, Spark Foundation), whānau co-investment (cumulative $3M NZD since 2007 in the Tāmaki cluster), technology partnerships (Google), and in-kind research support from the Woolf Fisher Research Centre (University of Auckland). The central operating team is lean at 1–10 employees, with programme delivery distributed across a network of school principals, teachers, and community coordinators. A 1–10 person core team alongside a multi-stakeholder community governance model is the operating reality.

Name

Manaiakalani

Legal name

Manaiakalani Education Trust

Website

https://manaiakalani.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Manaiakalani is a New Zealand non-profit operating a digital education programme based on a Learn, Create, Share pedagogy, serving primary and secondary schools across 11+ regional clusters and reaching 30,000+ learners through the Manaiakalani Education Trust.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Digital Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Teaching Resources & Lesson Plan Libraries (EDAGAEAK), Teacher-Led Digital Lesson Packages & Instructional Resources (EDAFACAL), K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Digital education program
• Teacher professional development
• Digital citizenship curriculum
• School cluster network
• Learning pedagogy framework

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Manaiakalani delivers a school-based digital education programme built on its proprietary Learn, Create, Share pedagogy, partnering with New Zealand primary and secondary schools to implement digitally-enabled teaching. The programme bundles a teacher professional learning track (Digital Fluency Intensive), a digital citizenship curriculum (Cybersmart), a video library of classroom practice (Class OnAir), culturally responsive pathways (Te Reo Māori, Manaiakalani mo Pasifika), and secondary school support resources, all coordinated through the Manaiakalani Education Trust and validated through an ongoing research partnership with the Woolf Fisher Research Centre.

Product overview

Manaiakalani is a comprehensive digital education programme built around the Learn Create Share pedagogy, operating across schools in New Zealand with over 30,000 learners. The core offering is the Manaiakalani Programme, a framework for teaching and learning in a digital world supported by a network of schools, the Manaiakalani Education Trust, and research partnership with the Woolf Fisher Research Centre. This core is complemented by several specialised modules: the Digital Fluency Intensive (a nine-day teacher professional development programme covering Google Workspace tools, AI fundamentals, and computational thinking); Class OnAir (a video library of real classroom lessons with accompanying materials); Cybersmart (digital citizenship curriculum); Te Reo Māori and Manaiakalani mo Pasifika (culturally responsive language and identity programmes); Manaiakalani 1:1 iPad Support (resources for deploying iPads in junior classrooms, including Explain Everything integration and Rewindable Learning); Manaiakalani Secondary School Support (department discussions, class site templates, and AI for Educators content); and the Google Admin Guide (administrative support for Google Workspace deployment). Supporting enrichment programmes include the annual Principals Wānanga, Summer Learning Journey, Film Festival, and Effective Blogging resources. The platform is built on Google Workspace Education Plus with integrations to Hāpara for student management, Explain Everything for interactive learning, and edublogs for learner blogging.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Class OnAir: A resource offering videos of real teachers in real classrooms with accompanying materials such as lesson plans, resources, links, and reflections.
• Digital Fluency Intensive (DFI)
• Cybersmart
• Wānanga
• Manaiakalani Education Trust

Products and services

• Manaiakalani Programme The overarching digital education programme providing a structured pedagogy and kaupapa for teaching and learning in a digital world across Year 1 to Year 13, connecting schools, communities, and whānau across New Zealand to implement the evidence-based Learn, Create, Share pedagogy.
• Digital Fluency Intensive (DFI) A nine-day professional learning programme delivered one day per week across nine consecutive weeks, building teachers' confidence and capability with digital tools (Google Workspace, digital pedagogy, AI and computational thinking) and culminating in the optional Google Certified Educator Level 1 exam.
• Class OnAir A searchable video library offering a window into real teachers in real classrooms across the Manaiakalani Network, including lesson videos, lesson plans, resources, links, and teacher reflections aligned to the Learn, Create, Share pedagogy.
• Cybersmart A digital citizenship programme teaching safe, responsible, and effective online behaviour for young people, covering the Smart Learners, Smart Footprint, and Smart Relationships modules.
• Manaiakalani Secondary School Support A dedicated support hub for secondary schools implementing the Manaiakalani pedagogy, including department discussions, class site examples, AI for Educators content, NCEA literacy support, blogging resources, and a Secondary Specialist for remote and in-person coaching.
• Principals Wānanga An annual two-day professional gathering for principals, leaders, and partners across the Manaiakalani Network, featuring evidence-based inquiry sessions, keynote presentations, breakouts, and collaborative planning for improving teaching practice in a digital world.
• Te Reo Māori programme A dedicated programme supporting the teaching and learning of te reo Māori across Manaiakalani schools, providing resources, professional development, and cultural guidance aligned with the Learn, Create, Share pedagogy.
• Manaiakalani mo Pasifika A culturally responsive programme supporting Pasifika students and families across the Manaiakalani network, integrating Pasifika languages, cultures, and identities into the digital learning environment.
• Manaiakalani Film Festival An annual film festival celebrating student-created digital media across the Manaiakalani network, showcasing student creativity and digital storytelling skills.
• Summer Learning Journey A holiday learning programme designed to prevent learning loss over school breaks, where students engage in digital learning activities and blog posts to maintain academic progress.

Quantifiable outcome

• Writing achievement rate is twice that expected nationally for continuously present students, equating to one additional year's progress per year over three years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Manaiakalani Education Trust (MET)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Governance body established in 2011 as a Public Good Partnership. MET enables ongoing education research with Woolf Fisher Research Centre and micro financing of over 2000 learner owned devices.
• Woolf Fisher Research Centre (University of Auckland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation research partner providing evidence-based analysis, external scrutiny, and research backing for all programme activities since 2011.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing Google Workspace for Education tools and platforms supporting the Learn, Create, Share pedagogy. Host of pre-event at Google HQ for annual Wananga.
• CORE EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation consultancy partner providing professional learning and development support.
• Auckland CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner supporting the Manaiakalani Partnership and community education initiatives.
• Tāmaki Regeneration CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegeneration company partner supporting community transformation through education in the Tamaki area.
• Tamaki Community (Families)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhanau families providing $3 Million investment since 2007 and active participation in the education of their children.
• EdpotentialminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner supporting professional learning and development within the Manaiakalani network.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Google for Education: Global platform provider whose Workspace Education Plus and Google Classroom underpin much of Manaiakalani's digital delivery. Comparable as the broad incumbent whose tools Manaiakalani builds upon and integrates with.
• Discovery Education: Large K-12 digital content and curriculum provider serving school systems globally. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering digital curriculum, lesson resources, and teacher professional learning at scale.

Direct peers

• Khan Academy: Large non-profit providing free digital curriculum and learning content for K-12 learners globally. Comparable as a non-profit K-12 digital learning content and pedagogy organisation with self-paced, technology-enabled delivery.
• Cognition Education: New Zealand-based education consultancy supporting school leadership and kaiako development. Comparable as a NZ K-12 professional learning and school improvement provider with similar target audience.
• CORE Education: New Zealand education consultancy providing professional learning and digital fluency programmes for teachers. Functionally comparable to Manaiakalani's Digital Fluency Intensive and identified as a partner within the Manaiakalani network.
• Hāpara Ltd: New Zealand-based education technology company providing Google Workspace management and instructional tools for K-12 schools. Comparable as a NZ-built digital learning platform operating within the Google ecosystem for schools, with documented overlap as a Manaiakalani integration partner.
• Edpotential: New Zealand education organisation supporting professional learning and school development within the Manaiakalani partnership. Comparable as a NZ-based K-12 professional learning and instructional improvement provider.
• Te Kura - The Correspondence School: New Zealand's state-funded distance education provider serving K-12 learners through online and digital learning. Comparable as a NZ-based K-12 digital learning organisation targeting equity outcomes, including for Māori and Pasifika learners.

Others

• New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER): NZ's national education research organisation, analogous to Manaiakalani's research relationship with Woolf Fisher Research Centre. Comparable as the evidence/research backbone supporting K-12 education practice in New Zealand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/clusternz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/manaiakalani-education-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Manaiakalani