Our Community

Our connections to our community are fundamental to the success of our school, providing our students with opportunities across the full spectrum of activities both in the classroom and beyond.

 

Vietnam

Every four years, Maniototo Area School offers a history and cultural tour to Vietnam. We believe that being globally aware is an important attribute for our school leavers. This trip provides the opportunity for students to be immersed in a very different culture, to develop confidence in interacting with people from diverse backgrounds and to develop personal resilience.

 

In April 2025 we had a group of 35 head to Vietnam. They will travel from North to South and will experience hiking in Sapa, visiting historical sites in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, visit a Vietnamese school –  to name just a few plans. We look forward to launching our next trip which will be held in 2029.

Duke of Edinburgh Awards

The Duke of Edinburgh’s international award programme creates opportunities for our young people to learn a new skill (or develop an existing one), get physically active, give service to their communities, and take part in an adventure. The experience helps them build self-confidence and greater resilience, helping prepare them for challenges they will face in their future lives. The Award is open to MAS students 14 years and older. 

 

St John Youth

A number of our students participate in the St John Youth programme from an early age. With a focus on first aid, healthcare, leadership and general life skills the programme is for all young people in school years 7 through 13, cadets are grouped into various levels for training, competitions, events, camps and even social activities. There are also many mixed activities for senior cadets to take the lead and provide role models for junior cadets to aspire to. 

Gateway

We support our students in making decisions about their future study and employment pathways including coordinating work experience placements for students.

Police Programmes

The BLAST (Blue Light Adventure and Skills Training) programme is aimed at Years 9 and 10 students providing them with team-building skills, education on healthy eating choices and fitness training. We are grateful to those agencies that make this programme available to our students.

 

The Loves-me-Not programme for our Year 12 students equips them with the knowledge and skills they need to take action (personal action, effective bystander action and community action) to prevent harm from relationship abuse.

 

Enviroschools 

Enviroschools is a nationwide programme supported by Toimata Foundation and a large network of regional partners. Maniototo Area School is proud to be committed to a long-term sustainability journey, where tamariki/students connect with and explore the environment, then plan, design and take action in their local places in collaboration with their communities.

 

Fuel for Schools

We are extremely grateful to Fern Energy and the customers who have chosen us as their nominated school. We receive 50 cents for every 100L of bulk fuel they have delivered. It doesn’t sound like much, but it makes a huge difference to our school. Once we reach $1,000 we can redeem products from the variety of technology, sports or literature packages on offer.