Digital platform addressing school cost built by Ōtara youth
Youth from Auckland suburb Ōtara have built a digital platform addressing the cost of back-to-school essentials for families.
The NZ School Hive Marketplace is a new digital platform built by Ōtara youth, aimed at addressing the cost of school essentials for families.
Families can buy and sell second-hand uniforms, shoes and other learning essentials on the site, which was developed by Community Builders NZ Trust and the Ōtara Youth Hub with support from Spark Foundation and Unitec institute of technology.
The idea was developed after youth attended the Istanbul Youth Summit 2025, where it was pitched, winning Best Social Project.
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Akavi Ngatua was one of the youth ambassadors at the summit, and said “[families] can’t afford uniforms, shoes or stationery, things that help students feel confident and ready to learn.
“Those pressures affect attendance, wellbeing and a child’s sense of belonging.”
Hazel Valor, another youth ambassador, said the site was a “practical, affordable” solution which “connects families through shared resources rather than letting good item go unused.”
The spirit of teamwork and community inspired the project’s name, said Valor and Ngatua.
The platform itself was built with the help of Unitec students Arishay Reddy, Quinton Gillanders and Krijesh Karki.
“Growing up in New Zealand, I experienced hardship myself, so I connected pretty well to this project,” said Reddy.
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The three coded the site as part of their degree project.
Taitosaua William Peace, co-founder of the Agape Foundation Trust, which helped fund youth to attend the Istanbul Youth Summit, said not having essentials was one of the key reasons kids didn’t attend school.
“The solution lies with them. Our role as the older community is to support, not take over.”
Peace added the project had potential to extend beyond the Ōtara community.
“I’ve worked across South Auckland from Ōtāhuhu to Franklin. This could go national.”
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