A trade training initiative in the Far North / Te Hiku o te Ika (Far North / Te Hiku) is giving local youth job opportunities while supporting their local community by installing brand new water tanks.
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Tupu Plumbing was set up as a training and employment programme based in Kaitaia by Te Aupōuri Iwi Development Trust, Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust (THIDT), and Crown partners, to improve the quality and quantity of water supply for Far North / Te Hiku residents by installing new water tanks, in line with the Puna Wai Ora – Te Hiku Drought Relief programme.
Industry training providers EarnLearn – Specialist Trades and BCITO have supported the initiative with a Limited Credit Programme of unit standards in plumbing, drainage and construction skills so those working on the tank installations have their new skills officially recognised.
Tauira or trainees who are members of the tank installation team can then choose to transfer their unit standards to a plumbing apprenticeship, or, in the case of BCITO, a construction apprenticeship.
Tupu Plumbing site supervisor Rob Purchase, himself an experienced tradie of more than 40 years, says the programme is changing the lives of both the homeowners receiving the water tanks, and the young trainees.
“Tupu Plumbing was set up as a programme to take six young guys off the benefit and get them into employment and head them towards an apprenticeship in the trades,” Rob says.
“It’s about building their work ethic and getting them out to do the job, but also providing water to whanau that don’t have water supply at home or that have a bad water supply.”
Tupu Plumbing has installed 89 new tanks on Far North / Te Hiku residential properties as part of the programme, with about another 260 to install in the coming year.
Purchase says as well as giving the local young people jobs skills, the tank installation programme gives them a sense of purpose and the value of being part of a team.
“Rather than getting up and putting on the PlayStation, they’re getting out of the house and coming to work with the team, and they’re being engaged. And they’re enjoying it.
“One of the changes we really notice is that now, if someone in the team has to call in sick or miss a day, the thing they’re most concerned about is letting other people and the team down,” Rob says.
For Tupu Plumbing tauira Gabriel Wharekawa says just some of the skills he’s picked up while on the programme include how to use power tools properly, and health and safety practices as well as getting used to working at heights and in confined spaces.
“Before this I was working in a fish factory and just chilling. It feels really good to be working on this project because a lot of the houses up here are rural and hard to get to. It’s great to be giving them clean water.”
Another Tupu Plumbing tauira Travis Purchase says he’d been on the benefit for a year after leaving school and wasn’t sure what he wanted to do for a job.
“This programme is a really good opportunity. It’s been amazing to work on a project that is helping the whanau in the Far North. It’s made me feel more connected with this community, and made me feel more loved and accepted. There’s an actual sense of belonging.”
One recipient of a new 30,000 litre water tank, installed by the Tupu Plumbing team, is Carol Brott. Carol, who lives with three generations of her family in a home at Awanui near Kaitaia, says her family’s lives have been transformed by the project.
“We’ve had tank problems since 2016. It’s that old, it’s got cracks in it. And it’s pretty hard with the prices of things these days, feeding the family and everything.
“When we do get rain, and we do have water, we restrict our water in our tank to try and stretch.”
Prior to the new tank being installed the family often had to buy bottled water for drinking and had to make regular trips to the local laundromat to wash clothes.
With a larger, more reliable source of fresh water she is looking forward to being able to revive the large vegetable garden her father once maintained on the property, which she hopes can help supplement the family’s food bill. “We’ll be able to water our garden and more veges. That’s food for our family,” Carol says.
“There’s 12 of us living here and we pool our money for things like bottled water, but it doesn’t last long. The biggest problem has been the clothes washing. We spend a lot at the wash house. We put all our clothes that need washing together and go every two weeks, late at night so all the machines are free.”
“Not having to do that will save us a lot of money, and the headaches of making sure the kids have clean clothes to wear.”
But, Carol adds the biggest upside for the whole family will be having uninterrupted showers. “That’s the first thing all the kids will want. There’s no more ‘can we have a shower mum?’ And no more me going ‘hurry up!’.”
EarnLearn Executive Director Kaarin Gaukrodger says the Northland training and tank installation is a clear example of the benefits of including industry training opportunities for local young people into community-based projects.
“The foresight of the partnership to develop an opportunity to train locals toward a trades career as part of this community-based project significantly increases the overall community outcomes. As well as delivering a much-needed stable water supply to locals, this programme gives the trainees practical skills and experience that’s the first step toward one of several skilled trades, so it benefits each individual as well as their whānau and community. These young people get to feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in completing important work that is improving the day-to-day lives of the people in their community.
“Seeing the impact their training and skills can have on people is a powerful way to stay motivated in training, and, importantly, connect them to their local whānau and hapū.”
BCITO Director Greg Durkin says the skills the trainees are learning on the programme are skills they will have for life.
“We’re proud of the progress the learners have made and the positive difference they’re contributing to the Northland community. If they choose to continue into an apprenticeship with one of the 16 trades BCITO supports, they’ll continue to build on those skills and knowledge toward a successful career in construction.”
Thank you to the organisations involved:
EarnLearn
BCITO
Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust
Te Rūnanga Nui o Te Aupōuri
Te Rūnanga o Te Rarawa
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Takoto
Puna Wai Ora
Ministry of Social Development
Tertiary Education Comission
Te Puni Kōkiri
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Education Unlimited
Apprenticeship Training Trust
Mauri Education
Axiom Training
