News

Under the expert supervision of Mike Brock of Land Based Training, the Enhanced Taskforce Green team have now completed remedial and fencing work on over 30 Tararua farms, with more in the pipeline. Recently Jane Tylee and Simon Hales from Rural Support Trust caught up with the team and passed on a collective ‘thanks’, for all of the hard work they have put in for farmers in our district so far.  They shared lunch and a small thank you gift to show their appreciation. Tangiwai Martin and Freedom Woolley are among the five men who have been working on farms through [...]

Covid and Cyclone Gabrielle have made an impact on various people’s lives, leading some to seek a new direction and make completely different job choices. This is where Land Based Training comes in. Land Based Training was formed in 1996 by Rob Gollan and Jeremy Higgie, who both saw a need for agricultural-based training in the community. They start at the grassroots, teaching students a range of skills, including embedded literacy and numeracy so they can fully take part in the modern world. The Land Based Training team work with their students to build confidence and life skills, as well [...]

Farm safety was at the forefront on Friday, where a team of four students from Hawera’s Te Paepae o Aotea School won this year’s Taranaki Secondary Schools Agricultural Safety Challenge. The winning team consisted of Luke Barnett, Tyler Midgley, Ryan Hockley, and Ronan Hurley. Stratford High School were second place in the event.   Other participating schools included Sacred Heart Girl’s College, Inglewood High School, Francis Douglas Memorial College, New Plymouth Boy’s High School and Spotswood College. New Plymouth Injury Safe and Land Based Training hosted the annual farm safety challenge on Friday at Francis Douglas Memorial College. New Plymouth Injury [...]

Land Based Training L3 Horticulture and L4 Sustainability trainees celebrated their course completions with a graduation and presentation of their NZ Certificates in L3 Horticulture and NZ Certificate in L4 Sustainable Primary Production on Friday 27/1/23 at the Manunui Hall. The classes have been running in Taumarunui throughout 2022 to teach, upskill and provide skills not only for Employment, but skills to be self-sufficient in food production and many other aspects of Horticulture and Sustainable Primary Production.  The courses are hands-on and trainees have reaped the benefits of being able to complete the practical side of the courses at the [...]

On Friday 14 April 2023 Land Based Training tutor Merryn Broderson took a couple of her full-time Level 3 Horticulture students to the New Plymouth Foodbank to help David and Jenny Reilly deliver the weekly harvest – with the Land Based Training students having donated produce previously it was great to get a chance to see the full process of where it goes next! The organic-based produce is grown by volunteers and Land Based Training students at Newstart Gardens – Newstart Gardens is a community garden owned by the Seventh Day Adventist Church.  The gardens are the primary location for [...]

Akoranga o Te Whenua (Land Based Training) are proud to be part of a partnership to support learning and development towards the NZ Certificate in Pest Operations (Level 3) in the Bay of Plenty. A Mihi whakatau was held at Parawai Marae, Ngongotaha where Manuhiri and Tangata Whenua came together to take the first steps towards this adventure. Tauira from Kaimai Kaponga (Ngāti Tura Ngāti Te Ngākau) ,Ngā Manawa (Ngāti Hangarau), Wairere Mahi (Ngāti Hinerangi), Te Kapu o Waitaha (Waitahanui a hei), and, Waipupumahana (Tuhourangi Ngāti Wahiao) came together for a two day Noho Marae, Wananga to begin the learning [...]

FROM roadworks to bookwork, a new collaboration between Land Based Training and Wairoa Financial Literacy Services came to fruition on Monday. The collaboration opens new pathways for local rangatahi through the courses offered by both organisations. With Wairoa Financial Literacy Services, Land Based Training can now offer their students a new path to strengthen their literacy and numeracy skills along with civil infrastructure. With over 20 students (so far) seizing the opportunity to enroll in the courses, it’s a sign that more vocational pathways are what some local ranagatahi need. Students of Wairoa Financial Literacy Services welcomed Land Based [...]

The bright idea of Land Based Training student Renee Hodson bursts into full flower this Sunday as Te Kūiti gets its own locally-based part time horticultural training course. Renee approached the Whanganui–based training centre some months back with an idea to benefit both local students and the community. She believed if the Maniapoto Maara Kai in Te Kūiti could be the venue for practical training, then the whole community would gain from the additional hands on deck growing food for the foodbanks and horticulture students would no longer have to travel to other centres. Land Based Training’s regional operations manager [...]

The New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Level 3 is coming to Te Kuiti, with a bonus win for whanau and local foodbanks - it will be taught at Maniapoto Maara Kai. Land Based Training's regional operations manager Linda Weterman said the concept of training in Waitomo is a student-driven initiative. Eight apiculture students who are graduating now wanted to go on and do horticulture training in their hometown "because they were keen to do it at Te Kuiti's Maara Kai, to build Maniapoto's food source and enrich the community" Linda said. "It's a fabulous initiative - students each have nine [...]

Having the skills necessary to not just cope but, to thrive in the workplace is something that is aspirational for many employees within the New Zealand workplace. Land Based Training partners with employers who want to make that aspiration a reality and embed it into the fabric of their organisation – we work together to change expectations. Let’s look at the aspiration financially - the difference between coping or thriving by building literacy and numeracy within the workplace is estimated at 2% of New Zealand’s GDP – that means in the year ending September 2021, thriving equals an increase of [...]