Building project pays off for Whanganui City College students, as house built on their fields nears completion

The Whanganui City College students who have been building a house on the school's fields with school principal Peter Kaua (left) and AGC Training manager Steve McKee. Photo / Bevan Conley

Building a house on the school field has paid off for students at Whanganui City College, with some already getting apprenticeships as the project nears its completion.

A group of Years 12 and 13 students have been building the house on Thursdays and Fridays each week since the start of the school year under the supervision of Ag Challenge's Steve McKee.

The project is the first of its kind in Whanganui and is the result of a partnership between City College, AGC Training, and Brittons Housemovers, who supplied the building materials.

School principal Peter Kaua estimated this week would be the last where work was done on the house, as the group of 12 students had done everything they could.

"It's happened so quickly, it's just amazing," he said.

"We're probably looking at finishing it off by maybe next week."

Once completed a barbeque will be held at the house with the students and their families so they could see the work.

Brittons would then come in and move the house off of the school grounds.

"The understanding is they use [the house] to train to build, and then they come and take the house away and they sell it," Kaua said.

For participating in the course, the students received NCEA level two and three credits.

As well as this, Kaua said some of the students have also gotten apprenticeships and further opportunities with local builders as a result of participating in the project.

One of those students was Tatora Cook, who was now doing work experience at Stonewood Homes, which he saw as the next step from what he had done as part of the course.

Outside view of the house built by Whanganui City College students. Photo / Bevan Conley

"I go out to a different building site and I work among the crew that's there, building houses and all that kinda stuff."

He hoped the work experience would turn into an apprenticeship once he left school.

He and fellow student Hunter Browning both said they showed interest in the course after it was announced in the school's notices.

Browning said originally he'd wanted to go into shepherding, but after taking part in the course he'd gained more of an interest in pursuing building and construction.

"I wasn't really interested in it when I first started, and as I went on I was like, oh yeah I might actually do this," he said.

They both said the biggest thing they gained from the course was the practical experience of being on a building site.

"How to use all the tools correctly, know what's called what, how things go together," Cook said.

Browning said the biggest challenge of the project was having to learn new skills as they went along.

"We'd do two days of it and then by the next day we'd already know what we were doing, so we'd just come in and start without Steve telling us everything to do," he said.

With the results of the project already paying off for students, Kaua said the school would be looking to take part in the programme again next year.

"They were going to start another one this year, but I think they've canned that, but I think we might pump out two next year," Kaua said.

"Interest is quite high because the students have been watching it go up."