Our Story | Media Design School

Media Design School's Story begins in 1998

We were founded in response to the global industry demand for highly trained graduates in the fields of digital design and creative tech.

Our faculty and students have cemented Media Design School’s reputation as New Zealand’s most awarded tertiary provider for digital and creative technology qualifications by creating work that is consistently regarded among the very best in the world.

This has led to the growth of a robust network of industry partnerships which allows our students to not only benefit from genuine feedback and industry insights, but make connections to not only get their foot in the door, but to bust it wide open.

With our eyes set on the future, we will continue improving our school in as many ways as we can.

Impact Report 2022-2023

Today, we proudly launch our 2022-2023 Impact Report.

It demonstrates the role that private investment plays in higher education across the globe, showcases how we weave impact and purpose into everything we do, and it highlights the fingerprints we are leaving on the lives of our students, on the education sector, and on the global community.

We are educating global graduates who have an intrinsic sense of social responsibility, this ensures that our fingerprint expands beyond the realm of higher education into the communities in which we live and work.

Download the Impact Report

Our History

25 years young, Media Design School already has a history of global success.

Education Futurists

In 1998, Media Design School was established by Liz Valintine, in response to a global demand for skilled graduates in digital design and creative tech. The original programme offering was a collection of diplomas, with MDS becoming the first tertiary institution in the Southern Hemisphere to offer a dedicated programme of study for 3D animation.

Gaming Pioneers

MDS continued to blaze a trail in the creative tech education space as the first school in NZ to provide a specialised games course for aspirational game developers.

Early Animation Adopters

In 2000, our Diploma of 3D Computer Animation is accredited by NZQA as a one year programme, with the Diploma of Motion Graphics and Visual Effects is accredited by NZQA as a one year programme following in 2004.

Industry Aligned

In 2009, MDS adopts a VFX studio approach to third year capstone production and produces our first film, Slightly Fishy, in just 3 weeks. The film is screened at festivals in Paris, London, Melbourne and Auckland.

MDS Goes Global

In 2011 Media Design School joined the Laureate International Universities Network.

Improve on the Old

In 2011 Diploma of 3D Animation and Diploma of Visual Effects are combined and accredited by NZQA as 3-Year Bachelor of Art and Design (3D and Visual Effects) programme.

The First Degrees

2012 marked an evolution from MDS's offering of short and diploma-level courses, with the introduction of the school's first Bachelor Degrees. Formal accreditation was received from NZQA in late 2011, with the first students embarking on their Bachelor of Art and Design in February the following year.

Girls in Games

In 2013, Girls in Games is established, an initiative to engage and empower young women, encouraging pursuit of STEM subjects and the video game industry as potential career paths.

Over the Moon Teaser Poster with laurels

Internationally Recognized

Film Over the Moon is produced in 2013 and is the first of many to be shown at Comic-Con in San Diego, while winning awards at numerous international film festivals.

Playstation First Partnership

MDS partners with Sony in 2014, becoming the first and only institution in New Zealand to offer Playstation development as part of a degree programme. To this day, MDS is the country's only school where students have the opportunity to develop games for the PlayStation platform.

Recognised in Animation

MDS is invited to present at the SIGGRAPH Asia, Educational Symposium in Kobe, Japan, to discuss MDS educational practices resulting in the amazing student work present in 'Escargore' film in 2016.

First Commercial releases

In 2018 Student project Sky Noon is released on Steam, and Alumni project Reverie is released on PlayStation Vita.

Matt Gretton, Gustav Seymore, Mike Page and Jordan Browne

First Onsite Interviews Conducted

In 2018, onsite interviews with local studios are initiated, including PikPok and Grinding Gear Games, to give students a stronger pathway into established and recognized studios. This has since expanded to include A44, Outerdawn and BuildMedia.

World-Class Education

Media Design School is ranked amongst the top three schools in the world providing VFX/Animation qualifications by the Autodesk sponsored CG Student Awards (now called The Rookies).

Consistent Achievements on World Stage

MDS ranked #5 in the Top 25 Animation School and Colleges in the World and #1 Top 10 Animation Schools and Colleges in Australia & New Zealand by Animation Career Review 2019.

Academy Award Quality Work

Film 'Kino Ratten' is screened at Academy Award qualifying Bermuda International Film Festival 2020, among countless other international shows.

Design to Tech

Twenty years since its foundation, MDS is internationally regarded as a leader in design education, most notably in the growing fields of 3D Animation, Design and Game Development. 2019 saw a shift further into the Creative Tech space, with the launch of NZ's first Bachelor Degrees in Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing.