Te Maara Kai o Wirihana

A Living Classroom Growing Skills, Kai and Community

At Manurewa High School, a vibrant kaupapa is taking shape through Te Maara Kai o Wirihana - a maara led by students and staff that’s helping strengthen food resilience, reconnect whānau with the whenua, and create meaningful learning opportunities for rangatahi.

With more than 2,000 students, Manurewa High School is South Auckland's largest high school, and hands-on learning is a big part of its approach. The school’s four core values - respect, excellence, whanaungatanga and akoranga - are reflected strongly in the maara, where students get the chance to grow kai, build confidence, and develop practical skills they can carry into their futures.

A Vision for Community Impact

Project lead Levi Brinson-Hall says the vision behind the maara is both ambitious and grounded in community needs.

“Our vision is to connect the whānau to the whenua… We want to prove that it is possible, that you can grow food at scale for the communities. We can feed our communities and we can have a project that has some solid impact.”

Te Maara Kai o Wirihana is also an important space for Trades Academy and alternative education students - young people who often thrive when learning is outdoors and hands-on. Steve Perks, Trades and Tech Head of Department, says engagement is key.

“The only way that you are going to get students to pass any sort of course or program is to engage them… This type of thing, it opens up their minds to what’s actually possible.”

By Our People, For Our People

For many rangatahi, the maara has become something they feel proud of. Student Anthony says, “For me it’s just all about seeing this place flourish so that kai can be provided for our people, by our people.”

Auckland Council is supporting the kaupapa as part of its investment in building local food resilience. As Rory Lenihan-Ikin explains, “Auckland Council is really proud to be supporting this project… which strengthens local food resilience in Manurewa and connects people through the shared values of nature and of kai.”

As Te Maara Kai o Wirihana continues to grow, so does its impact. It’s becoming a genuine example of community-driven climate action - rooted in whenua, supported by whānau, and led by the energy and aspirations of its rangatahi.