It rolled into their lives in the dead of night in May — a three-bedroom, 1970s state house with good bones but little heart.
One Tree Hill College’s Trade Academy bought the house for one dollar. The college moved the house onto the school grounds so students could learn trades while working on real property. The dividend has paid off in spades.
“So we’re finding that students who may not enjoy other things can find their place here and then fly,” said Charlotte McKeon, the teacher leading the ambitious project.
“I mean, we knew they would be interested, of course, who wouldn’t be? But we didn’t think they’d be so interested.”
The senior students spend their trades class working on the house in small groups. There’s also a Saturday session from 9 to 2 pm.
“And they come!” said McKeon.
Acting principal Emma Beale said the renovation, which Kāinga Ora supports, had been gradual.
“We had a few years of working through smaller-scale projects with the students,” she said — things like outdoor seating and planter boxes.
“We knew how rewarding that was for them and how much they enjoyed providing for their community. Then we had this connection with Kāinga Ora, and we thought, let’s go for it.”
Students are exposed to jobs and professions they didn’t even know existed.
“The students are saying, ‘I didn’t know that was a thing, and I like it,'” said McKeon. “We’ve got one student obsessed with the sill tape and putting that on, and now she’s considering that for her career and trade.”
Senior student Dani Parker has emerged as a natural leader.
“I’m looking at getting an apprenticeship to do whatever it takes to build the community bigger and stronger,” she shared. Additionally, she prefers hands-on work to being in a classroom.
“I learn a lot more through watching people doing stuff, demonstrating how it works and seeing the tools.”
Classmate Fotu Lutui’s Lutui already has a placement with a glazier.
“I love it,” he beamed. “It’s an amazing project. It’s out of this world. Shocking. We’re working on a real house.”
It’s been a big job behind the scenes to make it happen. A builder has to be on-site. And the school acknowledges a huge buy-in from sponsors and locals.
“We knew that we had the support of our community,” said Beale. “Not just local businesses, but support from the Rotary Club, we had support from other organisations in the industry and education.”
Patrick Dougherty, Kāinga Ora’s general manager of construction and innovation, said it’s great to see the state houses come full circle.
“When an old state house gets a new life, it’s pretty cool, especially when it goes to a school.
“Waste minimisation is one of the things we focus on when we look at removing a state house so we can build.”
Dougherty said relocation is a great option.
The school plans to auction off the finished house later in the year, and the funds will support a similar project next year.
link