July 01, 2022
Forestry training pathway to jobs and community
Turning a forestry services company into a training hub for rangatahi Māori has proved a winner for a Bay of Plenty firm – and it’s keen to spread the message.
Wini and Simon Geddes’ Tāne Mahuta NZ Ltd won the Māori Agribusiness Award at this year’s Primary Industries Good Employer Awards.
Since it launched a youth-focused programme in 2014 it has trained, qualified, and employed over 450 rangatahi.
The programme targeted rangatahi who were not only unemployed but also faced major social issues including drug addiction, criminal activity, violence, and disconnection from their whānau, hapū, and marae.
Mr Geddes sees a future for Māori in primary industries, not just forestry but farming and fishing.
“Māori in the primary industry is a big contributor to our economy, probably the biggest contributor to our Māori economy, and we need to see more of our rangatahi future-proofing our whenua and providing for our community,” he says.
Tāne Mahuta NZ has plans to next year share its in-house training system with interested iwi, hapū and marae so they can build up their own rangatahi and strengthen the rural hau kainga who are the ones who keep the marae and hapū going.