More who won't be home for Christmas

HAKA: The male members of the second contingent of Christchurch-bound Far Northerners celebrate their project haere graduation with a haka.

They won't be home for Christmas, but that will be a very small price to pay for the 22 men and women who packed their bags and headed for Christchurch following the completion of the second Project Haere preparatory course at Kiwidotcom in Kaitaia.

Project Haere (Pathway, formerly Project Pipeline), hosted by the Aupouri Maori Trust Board, is aimed at dispatching 250 unemployed (mostly) young men and women to Christchurch by the end of next year, where they will have 100 days to find employment, or to reach a point where work is in the offing.

They will have opportunities to study towards and take up a wide range of trades, and, ideally, will come home one day to contribute their skills to the Far North economy.

The only criteria are that candidates must be at least 18 and registered as unemployed.

And while their families would have to do without the latest batch over Christmas, the graduates would not be alone, trust board chairman Raymond Subritzky said.

"They'll be very well supported in Christchurch," he said.

"A lot of people will be doing all they can to see that they have every chance to take advantage of the opportunities that will be open to them."

Mr Subritzky added that he was delighted with the success of the project so far, and that success had not gone unnoticed. Interest in the scheme was now being shown in Auckland, Wellington and Taranaki.

"I can't thank all those who have supported the kaupapa enough," he told the second graduation ceremony.

"Without them this wouldn't happen.

"Be careful over the few days before you fly," he added as a word of advice to the graduates, "and support one another. There will be some tough times, and I hope that when one of you goes down the others will pull them back up."

The graduates, who hailed from Kaitaia, Kaeo, Kaikohe, Opua, Ahipara, Mangonui, and as far south as Whangarei and Ruakaka, were: Aaron Paikea, Anton Parore, Arnaka Peihopa, Daniel Pedersen, Darcy Faulkner, James Tamehana, Kane Nankivell, Karl Trail, Mark Watene, Maui Aramoana, Phillip Takimoana, Rahu Harris, Rueben Rogers, Sam Paul, Sarah Paraha, Tain Tua, Te Ruawai Herbert-Brown, Tegan Teina, Toby Wilson, Tusilima Rihari, Tyson Edwards and Vincent Harris.

Further information about Project Haere is available from Kiwidotcom, phone (09) 408-1851.