They built the house, then climbed the ladder

The Year 13 students, from Hastings Boys’ High School’s Building Academy, have spent the school year working alongside experienced tradespeople to build 3 two-bedroom Kāinga Ora homes, gaining valuable skills and hands-on experience along the way.

Their final house will soon be loaded onto a truck and transported to a site in Hastings, where it will receive its finishing touches before the keys are handed over to a whānau in need.

It will be a life-changing moment for the family who moves in, but the students who helped build the home won’t be there to see it. Of the 14 students involved in this year's programme, 13 have already secured apprenticeships or employment in the construction sector.

Austin who's 18, is one of them. He’s started a building apprenticeship with a local firm that specialises in residential builds and is already putting the hands-on skills he learned working on the Kāinga Ora houses to good use.  Long term, he aspires to move into project management.

Austin, a talented cricket and hockey player, says the Building Academy gave him a pathway into construction while allowing him to stay at school and pursue his sporting commitments.

He says knowing the homes they were building would be lived in by families in need gave the work a deeper meaning.

“Building the homes for Kāinga Ora gave us a sense of purpose. We weren’t just building them for anyone to live in, they were going to people in need. To be able to say we’ve built three homes this year for families who need them is a pretty good feeling.’’

Alwin de Vries, the teacher in charge of the Hastings Boys’ High School Building Academy, says seeing the boys leave school and head straight into apprenticeships is incredibly rewarding.

“Building Kāinga Ora homes, alongside the other work experience they’ve completed this year, has given them practical skills and a real pathway into work. It’s opened doors for them in the construction industry,’’ Mr de Vries says.

This is the 5^th consecutive year Hastings Boys’ High School’s Building Academy has delivered homes for Kāinga Ora. Over that time, students have built 10 homes for whānau, and more than three-quarters of students involved have moved directly into employment after leaving school.

"Not every student learns best in a traditional classroom environment. This programme gives them the chance to learn by doing, gain real-world experience and see the results of their hard work taking shape in front of them,’’ says Mr de Vries.

“The fact that the homes they build will be lived in by local families gives the work an added sense of purpose. In a year, or 5 years’ time, they can drive by that home and say, ‘I helped build that’.’’

Kāinga Ora Chief Housing Delivery Officer Caroline McDowall says the agency's partnership with school-based trade academies benefits both students and the wider community.

"The students learn on the job, develop skills employers are looking for, and often secure jobs before they leave school. At the same time, they're helping deliver quality homes for people who need them. That's something they can be incredibly proud of," Caroline McDowall says.

"We're proud to support the next generation of construction workers while delivering much-needed homes for local families."