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Primary ITO training provides Te Whangai Trust learners with confidence and a feeling of pride

23 September 2024

Te Whangai Trust encourages second-chance learners to “leave their past at the gate”, supporting them to grow their skills and turn their lives around, while providing an opportunity to gain formal qualifications through Primary ITO.

The Trust was created in 2007, when founders Adrienne and Gary Dalton set up a nursery on their Coromandel property to give long-term unemployed, youth, and people at-risk the chance to gain life and work skills, mana and self-esteem.  

Originally farmers, the Daltons had always been involved in their local community while raising their family. Their daughter Leigh was passionate about the environment and helping others. 

The Daltons employed a Taskforce Green team of unemployed people through the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to help them restore an area of native bush on their farm, where they worked alongside and got to know the workers. When Leigh died in a car accident, Adrienne and Gary took on her life purpose and a mortgage, and started the Trust in partnership with MSD.  

Adrienne and Gary Dalton, founders of Te Whangai Trust. Photo credit: Te Whangai Trust

Te Whangai Trust operates with a Kaupapa Māori approach, and around 90 percent of the people they support are Māori or Pasifika. ‘Whangai’ means to adopt and nurture as one’s own, and this is the foundation of the Trust’s work. 

They provide ongoing mentoring in a structured and safe workplace, life and work skills, and educational opportunities. Referrals come via word of mouth or government agencies, and people are inducted and employed to work in the nursery. In addition to their original site in Pukorokoro Miranda (Coromandel), the Trust also operates nurseries in Huntly and Pukekohe, and in Glenbrook and Mt Roskill in Auckland.  

The Trust relies on contracts from MSD and tenders for landscaping and planting contracts in their local communities. While these environmental contracts generate 70 percent of the Trust’s income, support from philanthropic funders and corporates is vital to meeting pastoral care costs. 

“The whole idea was about giving a hand up,” Adrienne says. “It’s about building self-esteem, mana, and breaking intergenerational cycles. This is a fresh start, and they leave their past at the gate.” 

For the people who walk through the gate, it’s about getting a second chance. Thousands of people have been through the Trust since 2007, with most continuing on to further employment or education. 

In 2022, Te Whangai Trust contacted Primary ITO to discuss the process of signing some staff into formal on-job training.  

Workers potting up plants in the nursery. Photo Credit: Te Whangai Trust

“Many of our people struggled at school,” Adrienne says. “Here, it’s about learning by doing. Everyone does the same work and builds their skillsets. We have to look at what support is needed and wrap a massive support system around them. When they start working in the nursery, that’s where Primary ITO comes in.” 

The learners complete an initial literacy and numeracy check to identify any learning challenges. Extra help is available through Primary ITO to support learners who may have dyslexia or other learning challenges. 

An initial group of 13 learners were signed up to the Level 3 New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Production, once support systems were in place.  

Adrienne says training through Primary ITO has given the learners confidence and a feeling of pride. 

“When they started ticking off their assessments, it gave them a real boost and helped to build their self-esteem and confidence. The group pushed each other and supported each other through the training. At the end, the sense of pride and feeling among the group was incredible. 

“It changes people’s mindset and by building their self-esteem, they’re more proactive in how they look at their job.” 

Adrienne says the support from Primary ITO Training Adviser Barb Cahalane was incredible. 

“Barb has real empathy and built a connection with the learners. She was always available, supportive, and willing to give advice.” 

Barb worked alongside an in-house trainer and mentor to support the learners through the training. This included monitoring progress, making sure assessments met requirements, and helping to hand out certificates at the end. 

Barb says the involvement of the in-house trainer made a real difference in helping the learners to progress.  

“Some of the learners had challenges with reading and writing, so just doing the extra learning was a big deal. It was so cool seeing their faces light up when they got their certificates, and it was just a privilege to work with them.”

Nine members of the initial group completed their Level 3 qualification, with two others leaving to move on to further employment. More recently, another learner has signed onto the New Zealand Apprenticeship in Nursery Production and is working in a supervisory position at the Miranda nursery.  

“If we invest in the people who are struggling, the whole community benefits,” says Adrienne. “If we can develop different pathways into work, we can reduce the number of people dependant on the system.” 

Find out more about Te Whangai Trust on their website here. 

Learn about the New Zealand Apprenticeship in Nursery Production on our website here. With 50% off fees in 2024, there has never been a better time to invest in the skills of your staff. 

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