42 | RURAL PEOPLE » Otiwhiti Station Training school opens doors for students Russell Fredric Otiwhiti Station Land Based Agricultural Training School is opening doors and more for the students fortunate to benefit from its programmes. Otiwhiti Station is an historic 1,800 hectare large-scale sheep and cattle breeding property on hill country in the Hunterville district, Rangitikei, that carries about 5000 Romney sheep and 500 Angus cattle. Established in 2007, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority approved school is a not-forprofit charitable company between the Duncan family, and Land Based Training which provides tutoring and academic support for students. The training school has extensive facilities with the capacity to train 18 students who are tutored towards a New Zealand Certificate in Agriculture level three qualification in their first year, with a high percentage returning the second year to gain a level four qualification and this is an ‘earning and learning’ year. Otiwhiti Station’s training facility provide scentrally heated, comfortable, single room accommodation. Students share a communal kitchen (with a cook helped by students supplying meals), lounges, bathrooms, drying room and laundry. • to page 43 Another integral part of the school is its classroom facilities, which was originally Otairi School, but closed in 2010. Purchased by the Duncan Family, these facilities include a swimming pool and community hall. The application deadline for the programme is the end of July with interviews conducted early August. Central to the curriculum is five pillar skills which comprise learning to shear, fencing, breaking in and working a dog, riding a horse, and slaughtering and butchering a sheep. Co-director Charlie Duncan says a ratio of one tutor to three students provides a good balance between training and maintaining productivity on the station. “We are in our 17th year of residential training in New Zealand, and this has proved to be one of the most successful training programmes you can do in agriculture due to having the students 24 hours and immersing them in our system, culture and in the process of learning by doing. “One hundred per cent of our students have been placed in employment or go on to higher education since the day we started.” There has also been a similar success in the students passing their NZQA qualifications. By the time the students start training in February each year, they already have a five to six-month-old heading pup complete with a guidebook written by renowned sheep dog trainer and highly successful triallist Lloyd Smith who tutors this part of the course. Students graduate with both a heading dog and a Huntaway and it is these tools along with the skills they have learned that makes them highly employable. The school is funded by a mixture of commercial and industry sponsors, farmer partners, Land Based Training Ltd, the Otiwhiti farming business and student fees. “Including the Otiwhiti [farm] business, there’s 10 farmer partners and they We take care of your accounting needs, so you can focus on the everyday business of running a farm. Proudly supporting Otiwhiti Station Land Based Training School www.ruralca.co.nz | (06) 322 8359 Pleased to support Otiwhiti Station Land Based Training School for their transport requirements. The training school has extensive facilities with the capacity to train 18 students who are tutored towards a New Zealand Certificate in Agriculture level three qualification in their first year.
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