Irongate school gets a behind-the-scenes look at Furnware

When Irongate School visited the Furnware factory, students got a rare look into how their classroom furniture is designed and made - from raw materials to final product. It was a hands-on, real-world learning experience that sparked curiosity, encouraged questions, and deepened their connection to the spaces they learn in every day.

This visit wasn’t just about furniture - it was about showing students what’s possible when design, innovation and education come together.

The visit started with a welcome and a safety briefing, explaining the importance of personal protective equipment. While having fun was a priority, Group Design and Engineering Manager, Rob, ensured the students were aware of the potential hazards when entering a factory. They were then given a quick overview of Furnware’s history, dating back to the 1930’s.

Working in teams, the students’ first activity was to assemble a rocking chair, much like a 3D puzzle, and write instructions, sparking thoughts about product assembly and the different parts that make up a chair.

Next, the students put on high vis vests, ear plugs, and safety glasses and went on a factory tour. Our main manufacturing hub is in Hastings, New Zealand, and ships internationally. Our factory has five divisions including production, warehouse, maintenance, planning, and purchasing. The students were led through the factory by our staff, who answered any and all questions.

Students step up as the designers and we listened.

Full of inspiration and ideas, their next challenge was to design a table. They had to think about things like, “Where will the table go in your classroom?”, “What shape will it be?”, “What colour?”, “Standing or sitting height?”. This sparked ideas around design, collaboration, and visual problem solving. We always learn from students, and this group had some amazing ideas, including an octopus shaped table, a Koru shaped table inspired by the Māori spiral shape, a “Donut table” with a lifting flap so the teacher could sit in the middle, and a Waka shaped table, inspired by a Māori canoe, so the class could work as one team. Creative and complex!
 

At Furnware, one of the most exciting steps is bringing designs to life, so we decided to do that with one of students’ designs. Junior Industrial Designer, Emma said she “streamlined and adapted their concepts into a practical and production-ready product”, adjusting the chosen design based on our factory’s capabilities.

We recognise every learning opportunity, both inside and outside the classroom. So, it was our enormous pleasure to host Irongate students and give them a behind-the-scenes insight into making great products. While the students learned a lot, they also shared an awful lot with us too – it’s always about learning together.