WelTec students don hard hats as the community's needs grow

Friday, 5 August 2022

WelTec students Tipalelupe Tafaovale (Lupe) and Elyssa Norman, members of the rangatahi cohort, with WelTec tutor Richard Carter, are helping Te Ati Awa iwi with their new build.

Te Āti Awa put out a call for help and local WelTec construction students with high-vis vests and hard hats answered.

Twenty-two students studying construction trades skills at thePetone-based Institute of Technology, WelTec, are gaining skills and credits while also helping Wellington-based iwi, Te Āti Awa create more space at their main complex in Waiwhetu, Lower Hutt, to meet the needs of the expanding community. Construction has been in progress since the start of the year.

Carpentry student Elyssa Norman, 19, said the project was helping her complete a Certificate in Construction while also gaining real life skills to achieve her dream of becoming a business owner in the building trade.

“It's not just making a difference for our education, but it's making a difference to lots of other people in the community,” Norman said.

Norman and Tafaovale are happy to be learning carpentry skills while helping the community.

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Wirangi Luke, chief executive of Te Āti Awa, said WelTec had always maintained a good relationship with the iwi.

“We had a similar arrangement with WelTec in 2012 when students were brought in to help us with our existing buildings as part of their hands-on trades learning, and even now, we get those graduates come back with their whānau and reflect with pride on how they helped their iwi with these bricks and mortar,” Luke said.

The construction cohort comprises two different construction skill classes with students from the Māori and Pasifika Trades Training Scholarship, which is a government-funded scholarship to cover full fees and course-related costs.

Norman described the cohort as inspirational and appreciates being on a team of minority students giving back to the local community.

“Not only are projects like these a way for students to learn ‘on the job’ but they are also a way to link people back to their iwi and communities,” Luke said.

“The benefit of getting the students on to a live site like this is that they learn how to work and manage themselves in a real job situation,” WelTec tutor Henry Ma’alo said.

“Things like demeanour, timeliness, communication, appropriate attire, and being professional all become really important. Students know they are in the public eye and there are expectations from the iwi about the finished product, but also on how the process is run.”

Students each get a turn to be team leader for the week and Ma’alo credits this as the reason the group works so cohesively. The lessons were “broad, and exponential”.

“They are excited to come to work every day, they know this building is important to the community, and they feel proud to be part of that,” Ma’alo said.

Norman said she has managed to learn one of the most import lessons in her life while on site: the ability to believe in herself.

She has taken to Instagram to document her personal progress and Waiwhetu’s as well.

“I started [Instagram] so that I could get into the community and meet other people doing the same things as me. I’ve connected with so many lady tradies who are just so encouraging.”

Norman said that while her cohort is extremely diverse, she would love to see more youth and women join the trades.

“Being in a male-dominated class, you have to be sure of your ideas. I've definitely gained respect in the class, and I think it's just knowing that I can do it. Knowing I can work alongside boys and be doing the same thing.”

Norman envisions future sites to be diverse in not only gender and ethnicity but age also. She said there was a lot everyone could do for the trades industry.

Calling from a cold, muddy work site, Norman said helping others keeps her spirits up even when the windy Wellington weather tried to dampen them.

“When you're in a rough spot, and you're thinking, ‘Why am I here?’ Because there are definitely days like that, you just gotta remember, ‘Oh, this is helping so many people’ and you keep going.”

CORRECTION: WelTec tutor Richard Carter was misidentified as tutor Henry Ma'alo in the caption for the main image. Stuff regrets the error and apologises to both men.