31 October 2024:  Woolworths’ Mini Woolies programme has today doubled its presence in Aotearoa New Zealand with the opening of two new Mini Woolies stores at Wairau Valley Special School and Sir Keith Park Special School, both in Tāmaki Makarau Auckland.

Education Minister and East Coast Bays MP Hon Erica Stanford attended the Wairau Valley launch, along with local MPs Cameron Brewer (National, Upper Harbour) and Laura Trask (ACT, List).

Mini Woolies is designed to give practical learning experiences to students with disabilities, by bringing an actual supermarket into an educational setting. Students experience learning in a comfortable and fun way, gaining literacy, numeracy and vital communication skills in a mini-supermarket within their school.

“Students fill their baskets with real groceries, using a real cash register with software provided by Fujitsu to make transactions (but not with real money). They can create shopping lists, provide customer service, and even use Mini Woolies products in classroom activities. Mini Woolies helps students develop confidence, independence and connection with their local community,” said Sarah Corey, General Manager - Enterprise Operations and Mini Woolies for Woolworths Group.

Since its 2018 launch, more than 6,200 students with disabilities have been through Mini Woolies, which are in every state and territory in Australia and now in New Zealand too. Wairau Valley Special School and Sir Keith Park School are the 83rd and 84th Mini Woolies stores to be opened.

Sir Keith Park School is a special school for children and young people who have intellectual disabilities or complex special needs. It provides specialist programmes for students from ages 5 to 21, from its base campus in Favona plus six satellite classes hosted at local schools. The Mini Woolies is at the Favona site and is supported and supplied by Woolworths Māngere East.

Principal Kathy Davidson said “education is not just about getting the child or young person into the classroom - it’s about making sure that they have the opportunity to learn and achieve. It’s about empowering learners with the tools and confidence to lead interdependent, fulfilling lives. Mini Woolies is creating a bridge to successful community engagement and we’re so grateful to Woolworths and Fujitsu.”

Wairau Valley Special School caters for students with intellectual disability, with some students also having additional physical disabilities. It embraces a totally holistic approach to learning within a medical and therapeutically supported model.  The Mini Woolies is on the base campus on Auckland’s North Shore and is supported and supplied by Woolworths Takapuna. 

“We are excited to be part of Mini Woolies as it gives our ākonga (students) relevant, practical and hands-on experiences. They will build valuable skills such as managing stock and customer service, fostering a sense of responsibility and independence, and they’ll extend their literacy, numeracy and communication skills. For me, the greatest advantage is the opportunity to promote independence and critical thinking, which are essential for their growth and success,” said Principal Natalie Todd.

For Woolworths, Sarah Corey said “together, we’re building a bright future for students at Sir Keith Park, and we couldn’t be prouder to be supporting the incredible work of the school by introducing this new learning environment.

“Our aspiration is to make Mini Woolies accessible to students across New Zealand, allowing many more rangatahi to practise real world skills in a simulated grocery environment.” 

Speaking at the opening, Hon Erica Stanford, Education Minister said “I have a huge passion for specialist schools - the dedication, the passion that you have for our young people with the highest needs is just outstanding.”

“This is such an incredible environment to give young people the skills and the knowledge and the confidence to be able to live the life that they want, and it's awesome to be able to come here and open with you the Mini Woolies.”

“Thank you so much to Woolworths and Fujitsu for your support. This is just an incredible opportunity for our young people. It just gives people a real sense of purpose. Those literacy and numeracy skills, the interacting, the customer service -  it really is the perfect transition, so a huge thank you to Woolworths for being part of this.”

“It is this government's plan to develop more specialist schools, more satellite sites, and hopefully more Mini Woolies like this all around the country.”