Manukau Institute for Technology has announced a new $55 million tech park for Engineering and Trades education.
The training school will bring all institutes of trade and engineering together for the first time since the provider was founded almost 50 years ago.
Two storeys high and covering 9000 square metres, the new building is expected to cater for more than 1,200 students and 100 staff members.
It will include building and civil construction, engineering, plumbing and gas-fitting, refrigeration, electrical and automotive.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins was welcomed onto the vacant section by a powhiri this afternoon, where he dug up the first piece of soil on land across the street from the Manukau City Campus.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff welcomed the announcement, saying it will be a game changer for students living in the area who want to study in the trading sector.
“Creating a vibrant centre for technology, education and commerce will bring new opportunities to those living in South Auckland. Its position in the heart of Manukau will also reinforce Council’s plans to transform and regenerate this area,” he said.
The building is set to be completed by June 2020 and will take up a thirty-year lease.
By Ashleigh McCaull
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