Whanganui City College building futures with carpentry project

Ag Challenge tutor Steve McKee with the group of Whanganui City College students who are building a home on school grounds. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui City College students are getting first-hand experience in carpentry as they build a house on the school grounds.

A group of year 11 and 12 students have been constructing the house on Thursdays and Fridays instead of their regular classes and principal Peter Kaua said they were loving the opportunity.

"The boys are buzzing," Kaua said.

The project is a collaboration between City College and Ag Challenge, who have had a good relationship for many years, with many students working with Ag Challenge to gain experience in agricultural fields, Kaua said.

However, the building project is the first of its kind in Whanganui and the third overall, with similar projects happening at Taranaki's Waitara High School and Marton's Rangitīkei College.

The students for the project were selected for their interest in going into the building or construction industry when they left school. They will receive NCEA level two and three credits for participating in the project.

Kaua said the students participating were of varying academic levels, with the shared passion of construction binding them together.

They are completing the project under the tutelage of Ag Challenge's Steve McKee, with tools and safety equipment also being supplied.

The plan is to have the house finished by the end of the year when Brittons Housemovers, which also supplied most of the building materials for the project, will move it from the school grounds to be sold.

Kaua said this would not be the end of the programme, with plans to construct another house next year and to continue the programme into the future.

"The benefits are huge for the kids, for the school, and for someone who needs a home."

Kaua's ultimate goal is for the school to be able to purchase the building supplies itself and give the home away to a whānau or group connected to the school.