Today was a day of celebration at Te Rā Nui as we launched our exciting new Environmental Cadetship Programme! We were joined by enthusiastic cadets, our partners, the wonderful Reverend Falkland Liuvaie, local job and skills providers, and the Whai class from Cannons Creek School.

Over the next three years, this special programme will not only help our local residents gain valuable qualifications and on-the-job training but also bring more than 100,000 native plants to life in Bothamley and Cannons Creek parks, making our community even more beautiful and vibrant.

This initiative is all about partnership! Te Rā Nui is teaming up with our Eastern Porirua Development partners—Kāinga Ora, Porirua City Council, and Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira—as well as fantastic local job and skills providers like Le Fale, Mahi Toa, and Rāranga Building Careers.

Will Pennington, our passionate leader, shared, “Te Rā Nui is more than just building homes; it's about building up our community. We're committed to supporting the improvement of education, job opportunities, public facilities, and local life so everyone can thrive.”

The recent clearing of non-native pine trees in Bothamley and Cannons Creek parks gave us the perfect opportunity to kick-start this cadetship programme. And with native plants sourced from local nurseries, we're bringing our parks back to life! At our launch event, the cadets and tamariki got their hands dirty planting native species in Cannons Creek Park—a true symbol of our shared commitment to our environment.

Will Pennington added, “The amazing work our local cadets are doing, along with upgrades to our water systems, will make a big difference in our community—a cause close to all our hearts.”

Every year, Le Fale Jobs and Skills Hub and Mahi Toa will select around 10 locals to join the programme. With support from the Porirua City Council Parks team and Rāranga Building Careers, they'll earn qualifications and valuable experience, setting them up for success in the future.

Want to get involved?

The Environmental Cadetship Programme still has spaces available. Anyone in eastern Porirua who is interested in learning more about the programme or finding other local employment opportunities is encouraged to reach out to either:

Le Fale – Jobs and Skills Hub
8 Warspite Avenue, Cannons Creek
info@lefale.org.nz
https://www.facebook.com/Lefalejobandskillshub/

or

Mahi Toa
https://www.ngatitoa.iwi.nz/employment
mahitoa@ngatitoa.iwi.nz

or

Rāranga Building Careers

Website: https://raranga.net.nz/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Raranga.BuildingCareers/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/80273285/admin/feed/posts/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raranga_buildingcareers/