The location of the new highway, which is now well under way.
The location of the new highway, which is now well under way.
A partnership between a student support programme and the Manawatū-Tararua highway project is giving five Māori university students first-hand experience.
The students, studying science, social work and arts through Massey University and Victoria University in Wellington, were working on various aspects of Te Ahu a Turanga, touted to be one of New Zealand’s largest infrastructure projects.
The 11.5-kilometre highway, expected to be completed by December 2024, would replace the now-closed road through the Manawatu Gorge.
Grant Kauri, project spokesman for Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, said the interns on the project would receive valuable experience in Stemm-related (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) career pathways, in which Māori made up just 2 per cent of the workforce.
The partnership, one of the ways the project was creating community outcomes that would extend beyond the construction of the road, was between the project and Pūhoro Stemm Academy.
“We share many of the values and intentions of the Pūhoro Academy, so we’re happy to provide the students with learning opportunities on the project, while also benefiting from the skills and knowledge they bring to the table,” Kauri said.
He said the construction sector needed leaders who could incorporate mātauranga Māori values into everything they did.
“By providing Māori students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a major project like this, we hope we can inspire them to pursue Stemm careers that will benefit the wider community for years to come.”
Navarone Watson, kaihautū of Te Urunga Pae at Pūhoro, said the internship programme was growing rapidly and more Māori were becoming interested in entering the Stemm workforce.
“Pūhoro is committed to bridging the gap for rangatahi transitioning from high school into Stemm-related studies and on to the workforce, and the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and build industry networks is critical in enabling this.
“Without the shared commitment and vision of our partner organisations, our rangatahi wouldn’t have access to these growth opportunities.”
Saylem Napia, studying zoology, had been working with the ecology team to relocate eels from waterways impacted by construction.
“It’s been great to get experience that’s relevant to my course of study.
“I feel I’m going to be really well prepared when I leave university, with all the hands-on experience I’ve been getting.”
Pūhoro Stemm interns Ryan Cutler and Sophie Marsden learn how to conduct soil and aggregate testing in Te Ahu a Turanga’s on-site lab.
Anthropology student Sophie Marsden said the internship was helping her develop valuable people skills.
“On this project, I’ve had such a varied range of experience with a bunch of different teams, which is helping me get better at forming connections.”
Sophie worked with the kaitiaki team, who monitored the cultural health of the project and specific sites culturally significant to iwi, as well as the environmental, landscaping and lab testing teams.
Kobi Hopkinson-Clayton, who was studying social work, said her goal was to be more confident in her work.
“I want to improve incorporating te ao Māori into what I do and really embody those values in my work. I feel like my experience at Te Ahu a Turanga has helped me do that.
“I’ve gained better interpersonal skills and I’m much more confident working with people.”
The first intake of five students started in late 2022 and would continue through 2023, with the intention of providing opportunities for more interns across the duration of the project.
