Grow with purpose
Building skills, confidence, and community
At Deloitte, our shared values of hāpai tangata (fostering inclusion), mahitahi (collaborate for impact), manaaki (take care of each other), arataki (lead the way), and mahi pono (serve with integrity) underpin everything we do. Central to this are initiatives where we can support our communities, such as Deloitte Grow.
Grow is a transformative social innovation programme aimed at fostering future-ready skills among rangatahi youth in Aotearoa. Led by Deloitte’s corporate responsibility team, for the last nine years and counting, we’ve delivered our Grow programme in schools across the country - bringing together Deloitte professionals with educators and teachers to empower rangatahi to think differently about the possibilities for their futures. Grow is a cornerstone of our WorldClass ambition to positively impact the lives of 25,000 youth in Aotearoa by 2030. We’re well on our way having already reached 14,839 people through our social impact initiatives – over 3,500 of whom are rangatahi directly supported through Deloitte Grow. We currently run the programme with 16 schools, several of which have been with us since the inception of the programme, strengthening our community relationships.
A standout story from the Grow programme is Manurewa High School where we’ve collaboratively aligned the programme to support the school’s students through Business Academy Makerspace, resourced by the Hynds Foundation. Makerspace is central to the Business Academy Initiative – a supportive, collaborative environment where resources such as 3D printers, laser cutters and design softwares are made available for students to prototype their products. It’s an environment where creativity and innovation thrive. This exciting programme encourages students to create products using Makerspace resources and helps them to launch their small business ideas. At the heart of the programme is the support of passionate teachers and educators who drive the integration of such initiatives in their schools. Emma O’Riordan, Director of the Hynds Foundation Business Academy, and former Manurewa High School teacher, has been a key driver in the success of Grow at the school, and our relationship with Emma has enabled Deloitte to expand the programme further to Papakura High School.
Deloitte professionals play a pivotal role as mentors, offering their skills, expertise and guidance to nurture students' growth. Mentors span the full spectrum of our business and members of the Deloitte team from our Hourua Pae Rau and Pås Peau communities have also connected with the school’s students, providing guidance and inspiration. The involvement of our people and collaboration with teachers is not peripheral but integral, providing real-world insights into product design, marketing, and financial planning while at the same time, fostering a culture of mentorship. This direct engagement ensures that students gain invaluable perspectives from experienced professionals, enhancing their readiness for future challenges, and helping them to envision alternative careers, while hearing first hand of different career journeys and pathways.
"Deloitte’s Grow programme has been transformative for our students, offering them invaluable insights into real-world business challenges, sparking an entrepreneurial passion, and strengthening key professional skills. The programme nurtures young talent and truly sets our students on a path for long-term success."
Emma O’Riordan, Director, Hynds Foundation Business Academy
Through Grow, the Deloitte team has expanded its support for Manurewa High School through our strong relationships with the school’s teachers. We’ve extended our Grow pathways to senior students by conducting sessions both at the school and in our offices, which showcased future career pathways to senior students, offering insights into a range of industries and professions. By providing access to professionals in real business environments, students took away a deeper understanding of potential career opportunities and the skills required to pursue them.
Alongside the Grow programme, our people have volunteered at the Manurewa High community maara (garden), planting 500 kumara plants to support school lunches, reinforcing the spirit of community and helping to kickstart sustainable initiatives that the community can continue to nurture independently.
Close to 200 students from Manurewa High and Papakura High have participated in Grow and Grow Pathways over the last two years. “Deloitte’s Grow programme has been transformative for our students, offering them invaluable insights into real-world business challenges, sparking an entrepreneurial passion, and strengthening key professional skills. They’ve been supported to bring their products to market - turning concepts into tangible ventures. Deloitte’s unwavering commitment to nurturing young talent truly sets our students on a path for long-term success,” says Emma.
Our work is not done. Over the coming year, we hope to broaden our collaboration with the Hynds Foundation and build on their work in South Auckland communities to provide further access to technology skills development for rangatahi. It’s never been more crucial to demonstrate the range of career pathways that are available, and to empower rangatahi with the skills and capabilities now to inspire a passion for making meaningful progress tomorrow – together we are more than the sum of our parts.
Meredith Dawson Lawry
