A new pilot programme is aiming to change the face of Aotearoa’s construction industry by supporting young Māori and Pasifika into trades.

Construction company Stronghold Group has partnered with the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) to launch a new programme supporting young Māori as they begin their journey in the construction industry.

Kahukura is a pilot initiative that will provide comprehensive mentoring and wraparound support for first-year Māori apprentices studying through BCITO.

In addition, scholarships for advanced qualifications and a leadership development programme specifically for young Māori aim to encourage more to pursue leadership roles and business ownership.

Stronghold Group is a Māori-owned construction company with a track record of bringing Māori and Pasifika whānau into the industry.

Managing Director Karalee Tangiau says Māori and Pasifika students often drop out of trade training courses early due to a range of factors, including a lack of cultural support and awareness.

“My husband is Pasifika and I’m Māori, and together, most of our team are Māori and or Pasifika, or both. So largely we are able to provide an environment for them that is already embracive of our culture and tikanga by nature, so you know all those things they bring with them.”

A stronghold for Māori and Pasifika whānau

For the past 30 years, the Stronghold Group has been helping aspiring builders by providing youth with hands-on experience in the industry, giving them the chance to be part of a culturally inclusive team that supports the needs of Māori and Pasifika whānau.

For many young Māori studying trades, leaving behind friends, whānau, and home is one of the key reasons the industry sees a withdrawal rate of 50% among Māori and Pasifika.

This lack of support has forced the industry to rethink its approach and launch a programme to better guide and support Māori and Pasifika whānau entering the trades. The initiative aims not only to help the individual but also to support their wider whānau, in a bid to improve retention across the sector.

“They don’t tend to feel a sense of belonging, and what I mean by that is going into a workspace or work environment where you feel that you’re valued,” says Quincy Tangiau.

With Stronghold Group driving the program, BCITO is prepared to help push forward this course to not only Māori and Pasifika but ready to help all with all ethnicities who contribute to the construction industry. BCITO has planned over the months on how they can better approach this problem and how the solution may take time before they see any action.

“At BCITO, we set up and have very regular meetings with all our learners, and we structure milestones. We’re constantly saying to the employer and the apprentice, Hey, what’s coming up next and collecting that evidence, cause then that evidence feeds into the success of the apprenticeship,” says Tangiau.