| 41 T T Kelly Deeks Creating pathways to brighter futures Robbie Bracken, Operations Manager, Taranaki. left and Reirini Bracken, GFSA Operations Manager, Taranaki. Hawke’s Bay: Te Aratika Infrastructure REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT E ara mai ana, a Te Aratika, i te kore noa, me te ngākau whakarehu kia puta he hua, i te panoni e. From humble beginnings, Te Aratika was born with a heart and a vision for positive change. Te Aratika Infrastructure was established in 1998 in the underground utility service industry with a passion to bring positive change to local communities. It is an innovative family business focused on building one person, one family and one community at a time. Te Aratika means ‘the right path’ and reflects the core intention of the company to invest extensively in its people through education and employment outcomes to promote healthy, thriving families. “Te Aratika is the platform or tool we use to make a difference where we can,” says Te Aratika Infrastructure national office manager Dianne Bracken. Te Aratika Infrastructure in the Taranaki region is responsible for the gas fields services on behalf of Powerco. Dianne, alongside her husband, founding member and operations manager for Taranaki region Robbie Bracken, are known for their hands-on approach to training, housing, and educating young people. “We aim to ensure our people attain licences, NZQA and industry qualifications, and upskill in their chosen career pathways,” Dianne says. A grass-roots beginning paved the way for the company to grow organically across industry sectors with offices currently in six regions across New Zealand. Alongside the infrastructure arm, the group consists of Te Aratika Academy, a special character high school for Years 9-13, Te Aratika Creative, which teaches transferable skills through creative arts, and Te Aratika Industry Training, a registered Private Training Enterprise which develops and delivers qualifications in vocational pathways. Robbie has a mentoring role that includes training taiohi (young people) in Te Aratika Academy. His sister Taiamai (Pep) Bracken is the tumuaki/principal at the academy, which is based in the Hawke’s Bay. With a current roll of about 60 taiohi and a waiting list to join, the school focuses on education through a mātauranga Maori lens, and vocational pathway and tailored learning to meet the needs of a cohort that doesn’t necessarily do well in mainstream education. “We are succeeding in engaging with a group of taiohi who would otherwise likely not be in school at all,” Dianne says. The intention is to work with the local community and expand the educational arm in all regions where Te Aratika Group is based. Te Aratika Group collaboratively encompasses its cradle-to-career model focused particularly on young a-typical stars to build their own pathway to success. Typically, Te Aratika Group has employed more than 70% of its staff between the age of 17 and 26 years, often coming with very limited knowledge of the industries and mostly challenging backgrounds. Te Aratika Group has a proven track record since 1998 and continues to strive to encourage others to find their Te Aratika, their right path. He ara te mea nui i roto i tēnei ao? He tangata he tangata, he tangata. What is the most important thing in the world? It’s the people, the people, the people. Warner Construction proudly supports Te Aratika Infrastructure www.warnerconstruction.co.nz Bell Block (Head Office) Taupo 06 754 8602 07 376 5753 adam@warnerconstruction.co.nz grant@warnerconstruction.co.nz 53 De Havilland Drive, Bell Block 4312 528 Rakaunui Road, Rotokawa 3378 General Engineering• Pipeline Construction• Geothermal • Bolt Tensioning• Plate Pro ling• Pipe Pro ling
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=