Young Northland forestry trainees earn while they learn

Kevin Ihaka at the launch of the new forestry training scheme. Photo / John Stone

The billion trees initiative continues its march into Northland with a new forestry training scheme enabling youth to earn while they learn.

The scheme - called Tupu Ake - which offers 15-24 year olds tertiary qualifications and life skills on top of fulltime paid work with Northland company Forest Protection Services (FPS) was officially launched in Whangārei on Friday.

FPS has partnered with NorthTec, which will provide the classroom component, and Te Matarau Education Trust, which will offer life skills and pastoral support.

Kevin Ihaka, managing director of FPS, said the 12-month scheme was geared to ongoing employment and create professional foresters.

"The Tupu Ake point of difference is that our young people walk straight into work with Forest Protection Services,'' Ihaka said.

His company offers the youth fulltime weekly wages for working in the forests. "They're on the payroll, they're out there working while they're training right now.''

Extra funding through Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE), via the One Billion Trees initiative, pays for one day a week in the classroom and another on personal development.

The scheme has parallels to but is not classed as an apprenticeship.

FPS already employs the first 10 trainees and hopes to take another 20 next year.

"By the end of next year, that's 30 trained forestry workers for the industry,'' Ihaka said.

"We've wanted to do something like this for a long time but, as employers, it was always too hard to follow up on that pastoral care side of their training.

"The idea is they do 12 months on the scheme, and when they're finished they might want to stay on.

"If they don't, they've got the skills to find work elsewhere or they might continue tertiary learning.

"In the future we're going to need more trainers and managers in the industry in Northland.''

The one day in class at NorthTec could see the trainees gain a New Zealand Certificate in Forest Industry Foundation Skills Level 2 (Silviculture), Certificate in Forest Operations Level 3 (Pruning), first aid certificate, drivers licenses and health and safety training.

Te Matarau Education Trust, which provides Maori Pasifika Trades Training in Northland, will offer the life skills component. General manager Huhana Lyndon said the trust was excited to be part of the initiative.

''As hapu iwi we believe there is huge potential through Tupu Ake to grow our next generation of forestry professionals," Lyndon said.

Associate Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Meka Whaitiri was at the launch of Tupu Ake on Friday. The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF), overseen by her colleague, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, will financially seed the billion tree exotic and native forest nationwide growth over 10 years.

Northland has already been pledged millions of those trees. The biggest forestry partnership so far involves a three-hapu Ngati Hine, Ngati Rangi and Ngati Kawa trust receiving $6 million to grow four million trees on 4000 hectares.

Of the $1 billion in the PGF, nearly $68 million is earmarked for the forestry industry.