A group of over 155 graduates, who were supported through their study by the Māori and Pasifika Trades Training Scholarship (MPTT) at Whitireia and WelTec, gathered to celebrate their achievements and receive a gift of tools relevant to their trade at the Te Āti Awa sports clubrooms, Te Aroha, in Lower Hutt. The power tools were provided as part of the Māori and Pasifika Trades Scholarship to assist ākonga (students) enter into the workforce equipped and ready to begin work. AEG Powertools New Zealand also contributed a power tool for each graduating ākonga.
Speaking at the event, Te Āti Awa chief executive Wirangi Luke, said: “We feel a great sense of pride when we see a new cohort of graduates step out of study and enter the workplace. This event was an opportunity to congratulate the ākonga (students) on their mahi and wish them well on the next stage of their journey.
"Our partnership with Whitireia and WelTec continues to successfully transition our young people from study into work, and it was great for all of us to be together to see the culmination of this. It is also great to know that the construction trades students have been working right here in Waiwhetu on our hauora buildings for Te Āti Awa, so the connection has been very strong.”
Mark Oldershaw, Manahautū, Whitireia and WelTec also attended the celebration: “We thank our iwi partners, Te Āti Awa and Ngāti Toa Rangatira, as well as our Pasifika partners, for the support they provide to our Māori and Pasifika Trades Training Scholarship (MPTT) ākonga. Joining forces with Iwi, the Pasifika community and employers across the Wellington region helps ensure ākonga have every opportunity to complete their programme of study, find work and enter a New Zealand apprenticeship in their chosen career.”
The MPTT ākonga came from a range of programmes including Automotive, Carpentry, Electrical, Hairdressing, Beauty, Mechanical Engineering Trades, Plastering, Plumbing and Gas-fitting, Painting and Tiling. They will be starting work at employers such as: Transpower, Wellington Water, Supercheap, Studio 21, The Powder Room, and others.
WelTec’s Tamaiti Whāngai team has supported the MPTT ākonga with mentoring, goal setting, pastoral and cultural support.
The Māori and Pasifika Trades Training scholarship is a government-funded scholarship to cover full fees and course-related costs. More information can be found here: https://www.whitireiaweltec.ac.nz/enrolment-information/funding-your-study/maori-and-pasifika-trades-training/
