NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Manukau Institute of Technology to build new $55m trade training school

Simon Collins
By Simon Collins
Reporter·NZ Herald·
4 Apr, 2019 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A new $55m MIT "technology park" is part of Auckland Council's plan to "transform Manukau". Image / Supplied

A new $55m MIT "technology park" is part of Auckland Council's plan to "transform Manukau". Image / Supplied

Auckland is about to get a new $55 million trade training school to help meet the desperate shortage of tradies.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins will turn the first sod todayon the new "technology park" across the road from the Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT)'s $100m Manukau City campus which opened in 2014.

All MIT trades training will move to the new park by next July from the institute's Ōtara campus and its plumbing school in Mahunga Drive, Māngere.

Park general manager Paul Hollings said the facility would start with MIT's existing 800 fulltime trades students plus about the same number of industry trainees on short courses, but would have space to grow to meet industry needs.

A study in February said the construction industry alone needs an extra 57,600 skilled workers by 2026.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The potential is good because it's a clever building. It will be clever timetabling that will enable us to grow," Hollings said.

"There will be a blend of the old and the new - simulators and hopefully some virtual reality. We'll be looking to ramp up the technology side of it."

The 9000-square-metre facility will house the country's only air conditioning and refrigeration school, our largest industry training school for plumbing, our biggest polytechnic-based electrical trades school, and training for building and civil construction, engineering and automotive trades.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Manukau Institute of Technology will lease a new $55m "technology park" on the empty site bounded by the Southwestern Motorway, Wiri Station Rd, Manukau Station Rd and Lambie Drive. Photo / Supplied
Manukau Institute of Technology will lease a new $55m "technology park" on the empty site bounded by the Southwestern Motorway, Wiri Station Rd, Manukau Station Rd and Lambie Drive. Photo / Supplied

It will be built on an empty site left over after the Southwestern Motorway development, bounded by the motorway, Wiri Station Rd, Manukau Station Rd and Lambie Drive.

Auckland Council's development arm Panuku ran a competitive bidding process to find a developer to build and own the facility with a 30-year lease to MIT. Northcote-based Haydn and Rollett won the tender and managing director Kim Barrett said construction will start on Monday.

The 9000-square-metre technology park will bring all MIT trades under one roof. Image / Supplied
The 9000-square-metre technology park will bring all MIT trades under one roof. Image / Supplied

Hollings said MIT chose the site because it was a large area almost directly above the Manukau railway station.

"There's no space here [at Ōtara] to build what we wanted to build," he said. "You have a massive bus interchange and the train [at Manukau], so it's a public transport hub, so it makes it a lot easier for students to come and go."

Discover more

New Zealand|education

Visa curb will cut revenue, warns MIT

29 Jul 05:00 PM
New Zealand|education

Polytech second-half rolls jump with free fees

31 Jul 05:00 PM
New Zealand|education

Polytech rescue plan spells upheaval for apprentices too

13 Feb 04:00 PM
New Zealand|politics

Last minute no-shows: Chinese chill hits NZ schools as students bow out

17 Feb 04:00 PM
The "clever" building will be able to accommodate growth to meet Auckland's need for more skilled workers. Image / Supplied
The "clever" building will be able to accommodate growth to meet Auckland's need for more skilled workers. Image / Supplied

He said MIT was working with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment about the future of the current southern Ōtara campus next to the Ōtara town centre carpark.

"The south campus will ultimately be vacated," he said. Other departments which don't move to the technology park will move to the northern campus in Ōtara Rd.

A new $55m MIT "technology park" is part of Auckland Council's plan to "transform Manukau". Image / Supplied
A new $55m MIT "technology park" is part of Auckland Council's plan to "transform Manukau". Image / Supplied

He said the development was approved before Hipkins proposed in February to merge all 16 existing polytechnics into a single NZ Institute of Skills and Technology, after a 19 per cent slump in student numbers between 2010 and 2017 pushed many polytechnics into deficit.

The new facility will free up for sale MIT's existing southern campus near the Ōtara town centre. Image / Supplied
The new facility will free up for sale MIT's existing southern campus near the Ōtara town centre. Image / Supplied

Like other polytechnics, MIT's fulltime-equivalent roll surged from 5590 in 2008 to 7525 in 2012 when jobs dried up in the global financial crisis, but dropped back to 5930 in 2017 as young people were lured back into the buoyant job market. MIT recorded a $7m deficit in 2017.

But Hollings said the development would go ahead despite the merger.

"Whatever happens, South Auckland needs the facility," he said. "It's not about MIT as such, it's about our community and the construction and related industries."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Air NZ plane lands safely after mid-air maintenance alert

19 Jun 09:14 PM
New ZealandUpdated

'Serious family harm': Emergency response to incident in Tūrangi - police

19 Jun 09:04 PM
New Zealand

'Living expressions': Pou returned to Hastings Civic Square after restoration

19 Jun 09:00 PM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Air NZ plane lands safely after mid-air maintenance alert

Air NZ plane lands safely after mid-air maintenance alert

19 Jun 09:14 PM

Fire and Emergency was on standby for an early flight from Auckland to Napier today.

'Serious family harm': Emergency response to incident in Tūrangi - police

'Serious family harm': Emergency response to incident in Tūrangi - police

19 Jun 09:04 PM
'Living expressions': Pou returned to Hastings Civic Square after restoration

'Living expressions': Pou returned to Hastings Civic Square after restoration

19 Jun 09:00 PM
Premium
‘No, it’s not’: Luxon denies new China flight part of Belt and Road Initiative

‘No, it’s not’: Luxon denies new China flight part of Belt and Road Initiative

19 Jun 09:00 PM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP