All sorts of students enroll to learn at Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti. Since we started we have had close to a thousand students enrolled at Unlimited, and each and every one of them had an individual education plan (IEP).

Students from all walks of life, from all ethnicities and all backgrounds find a place where they can be individuals and be treated with trust and respect.

Entrepreneurs

Students who are looking for the opportunity to be enterprising and entrepreneurial are often excited about the chance to work at Unlimited. Here they find a place and time to create products, services and real things out of their ideas. Great examples of this include:

Metropolis; the student created radio station built by Jeremy in his year 12.

Out of Kilter; the independent record company created by Will, which he still runs from his Auckland base.

Audiodreams; the Learning Adviser and student joint project created to run dance events for the youth market in Christchurch, now a profitable company owned and operated by former and current students.

Red-E-Bear Group; a three year computer game design and development initiative of five students that saw them package their curriculum around the building of a FPS role-playing computer game.

The t-shirt design company REDvibe run by year 12 student Chrissy.

Sports people

Sports people thrive at Unlimited because the individual education plan allows you to dedicate a significant part of your learning pathway to training and playing your sport of passion... without effecting your opportunity to learn in other areas... or gain qualifications.

In our short time we have had numerous New Zealand champions at our school including Ana Moceyawa: NZ Women's Judo Champ; Selena Metherell - Australian Secondary School's Orienteering Champion; and Kent Nashasura: U19 Men's Karate Champion.

Students of Music and the Performing Arts

In our short time Unlimited has gained a reputation as a learning centre of excellence for talent in performance music and the dramatic arts. In the last four years Unlimited has had three regional finalists in the National Rock-Quest competition, as well as producing the National Winners - Neil Robinson - in 2006. Our latest success - Warble, placed second in the regional finals. At Unlimited students can choose to work on their passion for songwriting and performance as part of their individual learning journey - dedicating real time to practice and playing.

Each year Unlimited produces at least one major production that floors audiences in its professionalism, innovation and student involvement. Our productions have been mistaken for the work of professional cast and crews. Our drama and music Learning Advisers are recognised both nationally and internationally as leaders in their fields.

Thinkers

Unlimited is committed to providing learning opportunities that encourage young people to really think deeply about the big issues surrounding us. We provide excellent learning programmes in philosophy, psychology, the law, science and ethics, and sociology.

Many of our students study philosophy at the University of Canterbury whilst at Unlimited, and they are ably supported by a former staff member from that department who now works with us as a Learning Advisor.

ICT Experts

Unlimited is one of only a handful of secondary schools where you can bring your laptop to school, connect to our campus wide wireless network and use it in every learning opportunity. In fact we positively encourage it. We hope that all students who are serious about working with ICT will purchase or lease an Apple Mac computer while at school. And if it's not top priority for you... then we'll make sure you have access to all the tech gear you need from our Tech Library.

All this is supported by our innovative, industry-focused digital media arm - Downtown Digital.

However...

We're a school that's about YOU as an individual first... so if you don't want to be pigeon-holed... we don't want you to be either. Our school is not for everyone... but if you're serious about learning, about being trusted and respected and about doing what's right for you... not just being lumped with everyone else because they're the same age as you then we think you should come and meet us.