Kāinga Ora helping keen Kiwis into trades

1 News last night cast the spotlight on the growing number of Kiwis upping tools, particularly women, Māori and Pasifika.

The news team visited Team 1’s Brookfield building site in Onehunga, where they spoke with Building and Construction Minister Jenny Salesa, and 18-year-old Kāinga Ora building apprentice Charles Kaifa.

Electrical apprentices Cheyenne and Jake told Minister Salesa they love their new roles and enjoy learning on the job.

The pair are among the nearly 60 Kiwis who are now part of Kāinga Ora’s apprenticeship programme.

Government figures show the number of building sector apprentices has jumped from nearly 28,000 to more than 35,000 since 2015.

With Kāinga Ora’s help, that number will continue to grow. 

Watch the 1 news story(external link)

The apprentices are interviewed by a 1News reporter on camera for the news item.