This year, Advancing Manufacturing Aotearoa is delivering three exciting initiatives, alongside our regional partners, designed to inspire the next generation of manufacturing professionals and reshape how young people — and their families and whānau — view our industry.

Manufacturing Passport Programme

The Manufacturing Passport Programme, running from Term 2 through Term 4, brings Year 11–13 students directly into your facilities for structured site visits. Students attend up to four visits across a mix of large manufacturers and SMEs, taking part in presentations, guided tours, and Q&A sessions with industry leaders.

Manufacturing Passport Programme is picking up pace across the regions. In the Bay of Plenty we partner with Priority One to deliver this programme, the schedule is confirmed and ready to roll with four schools — Tauranga Boys' High School, Aquinas College, Papamoa High School, and Mount Maunganui College — alongside seven fantastic business partners: Trimax Mowing Systems, Lawter NZ Ltd, Oasis Engineering, Gammin Co, Puma Dart Products, McAlpine Hussmann, and Bluelab. A huge thank you to all involved!

In Christchurch, Riccarton High School and Hornby High School (three groups between them) are firming up their schedule with Hamilton Jet, ENI Engineering, Enztec, Vortex Engineering, Wyma Solutions, and Argus Manutech.

Hutt Valley is gaining traction with our partners Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce leading the charge with 5 schools and 6 businesses currently engaged.

Auckland South is next off the rank — with schools already oversubscribed, we're now looking to match them with businesses in the Auckland South and East area.

Interested? Get in touch with Evelien at [email protected]

On the Road — Career Expos

We've been out and about at career expos connecting students with the best of New Zealand manufacturing.

A big thank you to Hansa Products, Laminex, APL Group, and ES Plastics for joining us on the stand — great energy and some brilliant interactions with potential future talent!

Read about our recent stops in Dunedin and Christchurch here, and come find us at our upcoming expos:

  • 📍 Tāhatu Careers Expo, Auckland — ASB Showgrounds | 16–17 June
  • 📍 South Auckland Careers Expo — Manukau Events Centre | 23–24 June
  • 📍 Wellington — TSB Arena, Queens Wharf | 24 June
  • 📍 Bay of Plenty – Bay Park Stadium | 6th & 7th August
  • 📍 Southland - ILT Stadium | 6th & 7th August
  • 📍 Taranaki – TSB Stadium | 17th & 18th August

Want to join us on the stand? Contact Evelien at [email protected]

These expos attract thousands of visitors and give manufacturers a visible platform to showcase their projects, people, and career pathways — leaning directly into our Future Makers campaign to challenge outdated perceptions of the sector.

Both initiatives are part of a broader pipeline that leads into the Earn as You Learn NZ Certificate in Manufacturing Level 3 programme currently in its 2nd year across Waikato and soon to expand into Auckland, Hutt Valley, Bay of Plenty and Christchurch.