Source: Eastern Institute of Technology
12 seconds ago
A new programme at the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) is equipping students with practical environmental skills while embedding the principles of kaitiakitanga (Māori environmental guardianship).
The NZ Certificate in Primary Industry Skills (Level 2) and Primary Industry Operational Skills (Level 3) are delivered as a 32-week conjoint programme, combining predator control, native planting, fencing, and machinery training with a kaupapa Māori approach.
Site coordinator Tania Basher said the course was designed to fill a gap in environmental education at these levels while offering a pathway into further study or work across the primary industries.
Programme tutor Tane Cruikshank said the programme aims to connect people with nature in a kaupapa Māori way, fostering a deeper relationship with the environment.
“Kaitiakitanga is woven through everything we do,” Tane said. “It’s not just a concept we talk about; it’s something the students practice every day through their work in the gully and their growing connection to the whenua.”
Students began with Level 2 in March and will move into Level 3 from late July.
Tane said the programme is about more than environmental work, as students gain skills that can be applied across a variety of industries, opening doors to future career opportunities.
Throughout the programme, students carry out practical environmental work, including pest control, restoration planting, native tree propagation, and track maintenance. Most of the learning takes place in a large gully behind EIT below Otatara Pa that EIT students have been returning to native bush.
They build trap boxes, install DOC 200 traps, monitor wildlife using cameras, and have adopted a zone within the gully to manage and restore.
Tania said students have taken guardianship of the gully space and have achieved some great trapping results.
Level 3 introduces advanced tools and machinery, including scrub bars, chainsaws, light utility vehicles, and tractors. Students also develop skills in fencing and conservation infrastructure, such as building predator-proof enclosures.
Tane said the skills they gain can be used in conservation, horticulture, agriculture, or farming.
Alongside practical training, learners gain industry experience through partnerships with local organisation Te Wai Mauri, who run a native plant nursery and kaitiaki ranger team. This connection to local initiatives reinforces the kaupapa Māori foundation of the programme and provides students with valuable real-world experience.
Applications are open now for the July intake. Graduates can go on to entry-level roles in the primary industries or progress to further qualifications such as the NZ Diploma in Environmental Management.
“It’s about experiencing a connection with the whenua as a foundation for their learning,” Tania said.
