Waka Ama brings trades students together
A group of Māori and Pasifika Trades Training (MPTT) students had an exciting day out recently, taking part in a Waka Ama experience at Te Waka Pounamu Outrigger Club at Naval Point, Lyttelton.
The experience was organised as part of the MPTT monthly waananga, a series of activities curated to connect learners through a mix of cultural, team-building, life-skills and employability events and workshops.
Poharama Nopera, Kaitaunaki Māori – Māori Student Advisor says, “These types of activities have huge value for our students, in providing them with a sense of achievement and keeping them culturally grounded.”
Other planned activities include: a marae visit, industry visits on careers and transition skills, and workshops on topics such as cooking on a budget workshop, drug and alcohol awareness, employment law and life skills.
Food is provided for all the sessions, and students enjoy the chance to chat with their peers and make connections across different programmes.
Nopera says, “A big focus of these activities is to provide an opportunity for our MPTT students to engage with each other and share their learning journey with other MPTT students, as they are often spread across the campus without necessarily knowing who else falls under that particular scheme.”
While the waananga are aimed primarily at MPTT learners, non-Maori/Pacific leaners also took part in the Waka Ama activity, making up a group of twenty-two learners, from a range of Ara trades programmes.
Tutors Fred Trotman and Tim Burton from Carpentry were there to support - even if Fred did fall out of the Waka!