Woolworths’ Mini Woolies programme has doubled its presence in New Zealand by opening two new Mini Woolies stores.
The new stores opened at Wairau Valley Special School and Sir Keith Park Special School in 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) attended the Sir Keith Park opening.
Mini Woolies was designed to give students with disabilities practical learning experiences 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),” said Sarah Corey, General Manager - Enterprise Operations and Mini Woolies for Woolworths Group.
“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.”
Since its 2018 launch, more than 6,200 students with disabilities have been through these in every state and territory in Australia and now in New Zealand. 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 with 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.
“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,” said Principal Kathy Davidson.
“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 has embraced a holistic learning approach 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,” said Principal Natalie Todd.
“They will build valuable skills such as managing stock and customer service, fostering a sense of responsibility and independence, and extending 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.”
The Hon. Erica Stanford, Education Minister, spoke at the opening and mentioned her passion for specialist schools.
“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 is the perfect transition, so a huge thank you to Woolworths for being part of this,” said Stanford.
“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.”
