Whakangahau trust aims for results

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 48, 19 May 1987, Page 1

Whakangahau trust aims for results

Members of the Whakangahau Trust welcomed staff from Fletchers Construction to the Raetihi Marae last Friday for a hangi to show the Trust's appreciation for the help they have given. Fletchers gave the Trust much of the timber that was left over from the Hapuawhenua Bridge construction, which they have used in refurbishing the centre the Trust is setting up in Seddon Street, Raetihi. The Whakangahau Trust was set up to run training schemes for unemployed people under T.A.P.S. for the Department of Labour. The department is now replacing T.A.P.S. with a new training scheme for the unemployed, called Access. There is one major difference between Access and T.A.P.S. and that has to do with results. Whakangahau Trust tutor Bill Pehi said for groups such as theirs to take part in the Access programmes there are much more stringent requirements than before. He said under Access they would have to prove

they could channel their trainees into work to take part in the scheme. Mr Pehi said he welcomed the changes, saying that Access would promote quality of training with the monitoring of results. As part of learning carpentry skills the trainees have been working on the old building in Seddon Street next to Dekker Machinery. The work included setting up an office for the administration clerk for the trust, Mrs Maria Condon and fitting a staircase for access to a room which is planned for sewing training. The building will be used for work skills training, administration and recreation. It has already been fitted with basketball hoops and table tennis equipment. The work done on the building was also to show that the Trust could run training programmes. All the carpentry work was done by the trainees, using the timber recycled from the Fletchers site and whatever else they could find. The Trust has three

tutors, carpenter Bill Pehi who was a leading hand for Fletchers Construction, carpenter Mike Middleton and Ivan Rewi, the Trust's farm work skills tutor. Roy

Herewini, who has just finished as a leading hand on the Hapuawhenua Bridge will be taking the place of Mike Middleton who is soon to leave.