Matapuna Training Centre

What a fantastic day for a hikoi.

Centrewide led by the level 2 students

A massive shout-out to Hato Hone St John Gisborne ! 🙌❤️

A huge thank you to Maree and Duncan for coming out today to deliver a fantastic, free AED and CPR training session to our staff. We all learned so much from two incredibly knowledgeable and experienced trainers. Knowing what to do in a cardiac emergency is such an invaluable skill, and they made the learning process both engaging and easy to understand.

Did you know Hato Hone offers these awesome one-hour "3 Steps for Life" sessions completely free to any community groups? Whether it’s your workplace, sports club, Marae, or community hub, it is 100% worth doing.

The more people we have trained in our region, the safer and stronger our community becomes.

If you want to get your team ready to save a life, you can register your interest here:
👉 https://3stepsforlife.stjohn.org.nz
Thank you again, Maree and Duncan! 🚑✨

🎉Huge congratulations to the EIT Commercial Road Transport students!🎉
We are proud to celebrate the achievements of the students who have successfully completed their training through Matapuna Driver Training, delivered in partnership with EIT.
A massive shoutout to both the students for their hard work and dedication, and to our amazing staff who supported them every step of the way. Your commitment to building skills and opening up new career paths in our community is what it’s all about! 🚛💨

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit us, Jo Luxton MP! It was an absolute pleasure hosting you at Matapuna Training Centre. Our rangatahi really enjoyed sharing their journeys, goals, and dreams with you over some delicious kai.

We are incredibly proud of the hard work our students put in every day and the dedicated team that supports them. Thank you for championing alternative education and recognizing the importance of creating spaces where every young person can thrive! 🌟📚

🚗 WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT MATAPUNA DRIVER TRAINING! 🚛

As a key part of our organization here at Matapuna Training Centre, we are incredibly excited to share that Matapuna Driver Training is hosting a ‘Shift Your Career’ Open Day!

Mark your calendars for Friday, 26 June 2026, from 10AM to 2PM and head down to 385 Palmerston Road, Gisborne.

🚙🚙🚙

📢 OPEN DAY, COME CHECK US OUT! 🚛🚗

Join us at our Open Day and meet our team, check out our training facilities, explore our courses, and see firsthand what we have to offer. Whether you're interested in car licences, truck licensing, forklift training, or industry qualifications, we'd love to chat with you.

✅ Meet our instructors
✅ Learn about our training programmes
✅ Ask questions and explore your options

Bring your friends and family along and discover where your next step could take you!

📍 385 Palmerston Road, Gisborne
📅 Friday June 26th
⏰ 10:00am

We look forward to seeing you there!

🎉 **WE’RE IN THE HERALD TODAY!** 🎉

Our Matapuna Driver Training team are featured in the Gisborne Herald today.
Our driving team is privileged to support drivers of all ages and backgrounds across the region.
At the core of everything we do is the desire to empower, uplift, and celebrate the incredible potential of every single person who steps into our vehicles - “Whakamanatia te Tangata”.
Seeing our team recognized on a national stage for helping hundreds of local learners gain their licenses and open doors to new opportunities is truly amazing.
Check out the full story in today's paper or read it online here: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/gisborne-herald/news/gisborne-driving-school-honoured-for-helping-hundreds-gain-licences/CW66E2P27RAD3IMWG3MZK2WWY4/
🚗💨
Driving Change Network

'Just chuffed to be recognised': Driving school takes top community award The school has helped 1330 people gain licences in the past two years.

🌟 BELATED BUT HUGE THANK YOU! 🌟

We want to extend a massive, heartfelt thank you to New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT)! Because of their support, we were able to purchase three AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators).

These life-saving devices have been deployed across our three sites across Gisborne to help keep our community safe:
📍 One for Matapuna Driver Training
📍 One for AA Gisborne
📍 One for Matapuna Training Centre

📸 Swipe through the photos to see our amazing staff members at both our education centre and driver training centre. Not only do we have the equipment, but we also have team members who are fully AED trained!

We are incredibly grateful to NZCT for investing in the safety and well-being of our staff, students, clients, and the wider Gisborne community. 💛

🎉 Congratulations Matapuna Driver Training! 🏆
A huge congratulations on your fantastic national success!
We’re incredibly proud to see your programme named 2026 Programme of the Year — winning the Licensing Pathways Innovation Award at the NZ Driving For Change Network Conference and Awards.
This is a well-deserved recognition of the outstanding work you do supporting our community and helping people get on the road safely.
👏🚗💙

🌞 Mōrena Team 🌞

📣 He Pānui Rakahia! 📣

A huge shout out to the Matapuna Driver Training Team and all staff across every site who contribute to the incredible impact this programme has in our community.

This week, Darryn and Bernice proudly represented Matapuna Trust and Matapuna Driver Training at the NZ Driving For Change Network Conference and Awards.

Our programme was nominated in the Community Driving Programme Licensing Pathways Innovation Award category alongside many other programmes from around Aotearoa.

🏆 We are incredibly proud to announce that the Matapuna programme took out the win and was named the 2026 Programme of the Year!
Fantastic work to our driving team and everyone involved, your dedication and commitment continue to make a real difference in our communities. 👏🚗💙

FROM MATAPUNA STUDENT TO GRADUATE!
We are bursting with pride to see our amazing 2016 Matapuna alumna, Leilani Walker, celebrating her incredible graduation!
Leilani just completed her Diploma of Business (Leadership & Management) Level 5, and her journey to getting there is nothing short of inspiring. Balancing life, overcoming obstacles, and pushing through self-doubt, she has shown what true determination looks like.
Leilani completed her Business Administration Levels 2 & 3 with us back in 2016. Now, she is heading off to AUT next year to pursue her Bachelor of Business!
Leilani, the entire Matapuna whānau is incredibly proud of you. Thank you for showing our current youth what is possible with hard work and determination. We wish you the absolute best of luck in your future studies and your next exciting chapter!