Play, Prototype, Pioneer: AcademyEX's The Play Lab Is Revolutionising Professional Learning

(Auckland, NZ) — academyEX, the pioneering post-graduate institute behind The Mind Lab and more recently the award-winning AI Experience Lab, has announced the launch of The Play Lab - a purpose-built space where adults can get hands-on with the future and rediscover the joy of learning. The Auckland lab is open for bookings.

Twelve years ago, academyEX’s origin offering ‘The Mind Lab’ brought ROBOTICS, coding and creativity to students in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Gisborne. Now, with The Play Lab, academyEX has gone full circle by tapping into that same energy; but this time, for grown-ups. The Play Lab provides a revolutionary space where New Zealand's professionals can rediscover the power of play to drive innovation, creativity, and learning. The innovative facility enables professionals to create, test, explore, build and prototype ideas while exploring emerging technologies, including 3D printing, robotics, IoT and sensors and artificial intelligence.

“Today’s kids are already miles ahead - they’ve grown up with this tech. It’s the adults who need a safe space to experiment, explore and learn. We designed The Play Lab for adults because the best way to master the future is to play with it,” believes Frances Valintine, Founder and CEO of academyEX. “The concept is to support professionals to learn through doing, to build confidence with new and emerging technologies, and discover new ways to innovate and be creative. We’re applying what we know about how humans learn best - through play, experimentation and collaboration - to the world of professional development,” she adds.

Available for teams as well as academyEX learners, it’s a new way to future-proof your thinking, build confidence and reconnect with purpose.

Building on a legacy of impact

Valintine is no stranger to transforming education. She was the only New Zealander named in the ‘Top 50 Global Movers and Shakers in EdTech’ almost a decade ago by a global panel including Google, LinkedIn and the Gates Foundation. Under her leadership, The Mind Lab taught over 250,000 children and achieved international acclaim, including the title of Best Start-Up in Asia Pacific as judged by Steve Wozniak and Sir Richard Branson.

The Play Lab also drew on that legacy with the success of the AI Experience Lab - New Zealand’s first practical, inclusive AI learning space for small business owners. “Learning isn’t a luxury, and it shouldn’t be reserved for seminars or workshops. Learning should be baked into your career - because in a world where AI evolves by the day, customer expectations shift by the hour and new regulations drop every quarter, curiosity isn't optional - it's essential. The Play Lab makes it easy for teams to ensure they make learning a priority in a way that is highly applicable to their particular context,” believes Valintine.

The science behind play

The idea that play belongs only in childhood has been thoroughly debunked by neuroscience and educational research. Studies show play enhances problem-solving, boosts engagement, reduces stress, and activates parts of the brain not used in daily work - making learning more effective and enjoyable. “What we've learned is that the principles of good learning don't change with age,” says Valintine. “Adults, like children, learn best when they're engaged, curious, and free to experiment without fear of failure. The Play Lab creates that environment for professionals who may have forgotten how to play - and in doing so, unlocks their potential for innovation.”

The facility is inspired by the world’s best maker spaces and innovation labs, and includes digital fabrication tools, workstations and areas for collaborative ideation.

Learning designed for your next act

The Play Lab is an extension of academyEX’s core belief that education should evolve with you. Its courses cater to adult learners who are mid-career professionals, returning learners or migrants and offer credentials ranging from micro-credentials to Masters degrees in fields including Technological Futures and Organisational Resilience.

“At academyEX, we've designed our approach to reflect the idea of daily, active learning. Long, passive lectures are a thing of the past. Whether you're doing a micro-credential or a Masters degree, the model is the same: active, applied and designed to make an immediate impact. We’re not just teaching content; we’re helping people rediscover confidence, purpose and community. Traditional education isn’t built for that. We are,” explains Valintine.

A space to play with purpose

Further utilising the new lab will be participants of academyEX’s new Innovation Residency Programme, an intensive 10-week experience that connects participants with New Zealand's innovation ecosystem while earning two world-recognised micro-credentials in Entrepreneurship and Disruptive Technologies. “In just 10 weeks, participants prototype, collaborate and experiment inside The Play Lab with a global cohort of future-focused professionals. It’s where play meets purpose,” says Valintine. “We’re not just playing for the sake of it - though that would be valuable too - we’re playing with intent, using these technologies to solve problems that matter.”

For academyEX, The Play Lab is just the beginning. Plans are already underway to expand the concept across regions and sectors. Corporate partnerships are growing as organisations embrace this fresh, impactful approach to professional development.

“We’re at the forefront of a significant shift in how we think about adult learning and professional development,” Valintine says. “The Play Lab is demonstrating that learning through play isn't just enjoyable - it's essential for the kind of adaptive, creative thinking our rapidly changing world demands.”

Come and play.

Bookings open now (sessions are three hours long for a minimum of 15 or more team members): https://academyex.com/workshops/the-play-lab

Bio

Frances Valintine CNZM

Founder & CEO, academyEX

Frances Valintine CNZM is a pioneering educator and technologist committed to transforming how we learn, lead, and adapt in a rapidly changing world. For more than 25 years, she has been focused on equipping professionals and educators with the knowledge, mindset, and capabilities needed to thrive in the future of work, respond to societal change, and care for the planet.

Frances is the Founder and CEO of academyEX, New Zealand’s only private postgraduate institute dedicated to education, technology, sustainability, and leadership. She first rose to national prominence leading  Media Design School from 1998, followed by The Mind Lab in 2013, an award-winning initiative that empowered a generation of teachers and students to embrace digital literacy and rethink traditional learning. It was named Best Start-Up in Asia Pacific by Steve Wozniak and Sir Richard Branson in 2014.

Her work has continued to evolve with the creation of the The Play Lab, a cutting-edge learning space designed for professional innovation and hands-on experimentation, and the launch of the Innovator’s Residency Programme, which supports global learners to prototype, play, and build new futures through immersive, short-term study.

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