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NMIT carpentry students are building four houses in a partnership between Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities.
At the beginning of the year the Level 3 pre-trade carpentry and level 4 apprentice carpentry programme students started building four architecturally designed, two-bedroom houses in the construction barn at the Richmond Campus.
The houses are being constructed to Kāinga Ora specifications and adapted to fit with the NMIT carpentry training programmes.
Reid Carnegie, NMIT Curriculum Manager, Engineering & Construction says the partnership arrangement with Kāinga Ora is very beneficial for the carpentry students.
“These house builds are great for our students as they get real-life experience on a building site but are fully supported by the tutors who work alongside them,” he says, “plus they are involved in a real-life learning project which families and the wider community will benefit from.”
Reid says the partnership gives local people the opportunity for employment and development by learning a trade, while also contributing to the social housing needs of the region.
The success of the project also hinges on the amazing backing from NMIT’s industry partners.
“Everyone is on board with this project—especially our suppliers ITM and Mitre 10 Mega—who are very supportive of the project and the learning needs of the NMIT pre-trade students.”
With the tutors there to support them, and work alongside them, the students get valuable real-life experience and as close to a real building project as you can get.
“We have a number of new tutors this year and they are communicating and working really well with the students,” Reid says.
During the programme they not only realised the importance of working together for a common goal, but they also became really competent with hand and power tools, familiar with the methodology of sub-flooring, wall framing, cladding, gibbing and working at heights.
Progress on the houses has been good. Despite the weather events they are on schedule and the standard of work from the students is very high.
The steel roofing is on three of the houses, and the fourth house has the frames and trusses in place.
Around 25 level three students are involved, although the number is a little less than at the beginning of the year as some moved on to apprenticeships—which is good news.
Once completed the houses will be transported to Kāinga Ora land in the Nelson Tasman area and become homes for the social housing landlord’s customers.
