Fruit of their labour is a good education

Waihi College is three months into a three-year horticulture partnership with kiwifruit company Zespri, and the project is 'all positive' for students, principal Alistair Cochrane says.

Waihi College has a 1.4 ha kiwifruit orchard in its grounds, with one block used for trial work conducted by farm unit students, and the rest used to generate income to run the farm unit.

Zespri is donating money to help run the unit and giving expert input and advice, but more importantly is providing valuable links to careers for the students.

Mr Cochrane said the programme's main aim was to create pathways for students through positive links with employers. "It can be difficult to see what lies ahead in life when you are 15 or 16 - a good spin-off from this programme has been that many students are becoming excited about their future.
	Year 10 student Ashley Te Wake in the kiwifruit orchard

"We are trying to show our kids that there is more to the kiwifruit industry than just packing fruit in boxes. They have really benefited from working side by side with industry experts."

Mr Cochrane said the success of the scheme had led the school to consider partnerships with other agricultural companies, and the Waihi District mayor had floated the idea of a similar programme with the automotive industry.

He said the programme was a good model for other schools to consider. It helped students find pathways into work or further study once they left secondary school.

Farm unit students are carrying out trials on kiwifruit crops. A recent trial has been to identify suitable growing conditions. Other students have been incorporating the findings into their studies.

Mr Cochrane said maths students learnt about the need for accuracy and how to look for patterns and trends in data; graphic art students did design work around the programme; English students learnt how to collect relevant information from the maths and science groups to write and present scripts; and science students learnt measuring and recording skills.

Students were beginning to see the relevance of their studies to the 'real world'. Teachers had also come onboard as they saw students' enthusiasm for their studies, Mr Cochrane said.

In a statement, Zespri chief executive Tim Goodacre said he hoped the experience the students gained would encourage them to choose a career in horticulture.

He said fostering and supporting the students was also a way Zespri International Limited could help create a sustainable future for the kiwifruit industry.

A Zespri statement on the scheme is at this web page.

Auckland's Onehunga High School runs similar partnerships with the private sector in its Building and Construction School and its Business School. A Subtext story on the Building and Construction School is at this web page.

The Waihi College website is at http://www.waihicol.school.nz/