Smashing it out on forestry course
From left standing: Caleb, Tirakia, Ray-Borneo and a colleague. Pacey at front.
Four current students on a Te Wānanga o Aotearoa forestry course, along with one former student, have been part of a crew that smashed out the rare achievement of planting one million trees this season near Rotorua.
Pacey-Jack Apo, Tirakia-Kalani Edmonds, Ray-Borneo Howden and Caleb Werahiko from the Semester B 2020 intake, as well as 2019 student Russell Whata, helped hit that mark during planting which began after the COVID-19 rāhui.
They were doing the work as employees of contractors Mahi Rakau (the former CNI) while the Semester B 2020 students also completed a 22-week Certificate in Forestry Industry Foundation Skills course at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
“It’s pretty rare for crews to hit the one million mark during a planting period so hats off to these guys for being part of a top crew,” says course kaiako (teacher) Shand Edwardson.
“This is a great example of how our tauira (students) get real time, on-the-job experience as they do our Rotorua-based programme.”
Shand works with a wide range of forestry sector stakeholders – including Mahi Rakau, Māori and Pacific Islands Trades, Timberlands and Vertical Horizons – to equip students with the likes of forestry learning and experience, traffic management skills and driver licencing support.
With many of the tauira having difficulty getting a job previously it’s important that participation in the course is a pretty sure pathway to employment, Shand says.
“If they’re ready to go to work we can pretty much put them into work at the same time as they start the course.”
So on the job training is supplemented by the skills and training taught at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
“They get paid work while learning from ourselves and their employers.
“The tauira are assisted to upskill through the course while we also help meet forestry sector labour needs.”
Two courses are run every year and cater for a minimum of 15 tauira each.
Anyone interested in the forestry course in Rotorua can contact Te Wānanga o Aotearoa on 0800 355 553 or visit our website for more information.
Pūrongo whakahirahira
Featured stories
Finding a deeper sense of self through te ao Māori
Moving to Aotearoa from rural Australia as a teenager, Lily Warring found herself wanting to learn more about the culture and language of the place she now called home.
A journey shaped by whānau and a love of tamariki
Members of Tayla-Marie Takawe’s (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Maniapoto) whānau were among the first tauira to graduate from the Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching) at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Reconnecting to te ao Māori through raranga
Haylee Roussel (Ngāti Rārua, Rangitāne, Ngāti Maniapoto) was searching for a way to reconnect with te ao Māori when she enrolled in the Certificate in Māori and Indigenous Art, Raranga, at the Waiwhero campus of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Creating the spark for business success
With plenty of experience as an electrician, Josh Verstraten was ready to branch out from employee to business owner, but he knew running a successful business would require a new set of skills.
From financial stress to financial freedom for Auckland whānau
For Augustine Kopa, studying the Certificate in Money Management at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa was about creating a better future for her whānau.
Two generations, one reo Māori journey
When Melody Francis (Ngāti Kahungunu) saw the positive impact that studying te reo Māori had on her mum, she decided to jump on the waka and begin the journey alongside her.
Tikanga study boosts whānau presence on marae
Patrick and Donna Tobin (Ngāti Kahu) are a brother-and-sister duo studying tikanga alongside their wider whānau at Te Paatu Marae in Kaitaia, all working towards the betterment of their whānau, iwi, and marae.
A teacher’s path to understanding tikanga
Originally from South Africa, Franda Zondagh has called Aotearoa home since 2003, but it was through studying He Papa Tikanga with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa that she began to feel a deeper connection to the place she lives and people she serves in her mahi.
Leading by example and learning te reo Māori
Liisa Wharepapa’s (Te Whānau ā Apanui) journey with te reo Māori wasn’t something that happened overnight, it was a goal waiting to be pursued until the moment she felt ready to take that step.
Returning home and reclaiming te reo Māori
After many years away building his professional career, Logan Bertram (Whakatōhea), returned home to Ōpōtiki with a clear goal of reconnecting with his whakapapa and creating a better future for his young whānau.
