About Manatoa Maths
Our Mission
Every student in New Zealand deserves the best education possible. We recognise that educational outcomes aren't always equitable, and our mission is clear: help teachers bridge that gap.
Starting with intuitive curriculum exploration and adaptive assessment tools, we empower kaiako to awaken the learning warrior within every ākonga.
Our Story
Manatoa began from a simple need—making sense of New Zealand's refreshed curriculum. When the new curriculum launched, founder Dr. Michael Walmsley discovered that the new curriculum documents weren't mobile-friendly.
What started as a mobile-friendly curriculum explorer is now expanding into much more...
What "Manatoa" Means
In Māori, Manatoa means "Powerful Warrior"—a symbol of strength and potential in each learner. In Japanese, "Mana" also translates to "learning," reflecting our vision of fostering powerful, confident learners through technology-enhanced education.
Core Values
- Equity in Education: Quality education should be accessible to every child, regardless of background or ability.
- Joyful Learning: Learning should be engaging, appropriately challenging, and clearly structured, fostering a love for education.
- Innovation and Impact: Leveraging technology and AI to continuously enhance teaching and learning experiences.
Why Manatoa?
Teachers today face overwhelming administrative workloads that drain their joy and effectiveness. Traditional educational resources are fragmented, cumbersome, and fail to cater effectively to diverse learners. At Manatoa, we're developing a unified solution:
- Curriculum Exploration: Simple, mobile-friendly navigation of curriculum content.
- Adaptive Assessments: Tailored assessments that highlight each learner's strengths and areas for growth.
- Future Plans: Integration of comprehensive lesson planning, personalised practice exercises, and detailed reporting tools.
Our Founder
Dr. Michael Walmsley brings decades of expertise in EdTech, software engineering, and online education innovation. A software engineer with a Ph.D. in "Computer-Assisted Language Learning," Michael founded Code Avengers in 2011, growing it into a global educational platform. For the past five years, Michael also led the development of the latest version of the NumberWorks'nWords tuition platform, further honing his expertise in impactful educational technology.
Michael and his wife come from large families of Māori, European, and Chinese heritage with over 30 teachers combined, and Michael has dedicated his career to developing educational software, from language-learning apps to comprehensive online curriculums. Manatoa is the culmination of his experience, passion, and unwavering commitment to equitable education.
Looking Forward
We envisage a future where every kaiako feels supported, every ākonga feels empowered, every whānau feels connected, and education becomes a joyful experience where collective mana turns individual effort into shared success.
Mā te kotahitanga e whai kaha ai tātau
Through unity we gain strength
Our technology helps kaiako, ākonga and whānau pull together to empower every student to achieve their full potential.
