The Year 13 students are involved in the Building Academy, a building and construction industry training organisation (BCITO) accredited building course.
The three houses will be temporarily placed at the Brittons House Movers yard in Maraekākaho, before being relocated to Willowpark Rd in Hastings in March next year.
Salla Delport and Trent Bray with the first house built by students to leave the site. Photo / Warren Buckland
The project started in 2022 with 13 students and progressed to have 17 students this year.
Building Academy coordinator Salla Delport said it was great to see the first of the three houses be placed on the truck.
“The students do everything, from the ground up, from the sub-floor, right through, the only thing they do not do is the roof, plastering and painting,” Delport, the head of the technology department at HBHS, said.
Kāinga Ora regional director East North Island Naomi Whitewood(Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi) said the homes were a game-changer for students, schools and communities.
“The partnership is a great example of the school and government agencies working together in a way that benefits the students and the Hastings community,” she said.
Delport said it was a “no-brainer” to give the students a taste of a construction career and real job site experience.
“There are real opportunities out there if you have got the ability and inclination to work with your hands and to problem solve,” he said.
The three-bedroom house was removed first. Photo / Warren Buckland
Out of the 17 students who took part this year, 14 have already been employed in the building or construction industry.
The programme is set to continue next year and give another group of students a similar work experience and teach them the skills needed to gain employment after school.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and has a love for sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
