Manzana was founded in 2001 by Pablo Garcia and Robert Love, previously collaborators in the 1990’s medical software business Mana Group.
Manzana was set up initially as a holding company for an investment in Avcom Technologies. With Avcom’s failure in 2004, Manzna acquired some of its assets and took on the business of introducing Smartboards to New Zealand, mainly involving the education sector. In addition to its main offering, the SMART Board interactive whiteboard, Manzana provided a wide range of education technologies to enable classrooms to become more interactive and more engaging. These included specialised audio visual solutions and audience participation tools.
In 2006 work started on developing our own interactive whiteboard (“smartboard”). The first 2Touch IWB’s shipped in early 2008 to customers in Australia through sister company 2Touch Australia Pty Ltd. A software team was assembled in 2008, eventually becoming Xorro Solutions Limited. Over the ensuing years this team released Xorro Workbook whiteboarding software, and the Xorro-Q audience participation and assessment platform.
With the cost of large interactive displays dropping sharply, the production of interactive whiteboards ceased in Australia in 2013 and a few years later in NZ. Manzana continued to support IWB’s and to supply interactive displays, however the business focus shifted to marketing Xorro’s software solutions in New Zealand. Today Manzana supplies supports Xorro-Q in use in many NZ higher education settings.
Zinterlock, an innovative split batten bracket developed by Manzana for supporting large touch surfaces on walls, has found wide application in many sectors. Manzana continues to supply Zinterlock today.