How it works
The Toi Ki Tua programme partners with employers across the primary industry’s eco-system within the Bay of Plenty region (from research & development through to marketing & logistics, and everything in between), to provide professional placements to the Toi Ki Tua student cohort.
Toi Ki Tua then accepts applications from Māori tertiary students (from all study disciplines) who have a strong connection to the Bay of Plenty, through either whakapapa or residency.
Students are matched to participating organisations in roles that are relevant to their areas of study, undertaking summer projects within their organisations, supported by a kaupapa Māori framework of whānaungatanga (personal connection), manaakitanga (pastoral care and support) and reciprocal mātauranga (knowledge) facilitated by Toi Ki Tua.
The Programme consists of:
- A paid 10-week professional summer internship (project-related)
- Industry eco-tours across key parts of the industry’s eco-system (from R&D and innovation, to marketing and logistics)
- Pastoral and peer support network for both students and their employers
- Preparation workshops for both students and employers
- Combined launch and celebration events to create whānaungatanga between employers, students and their whānau
- Ongoing mentoring from a Māori mentor
The tauira-focused objectives are that tauira will:
- Grow in aspirations, know-how and can-do
- Increase their awareness of career opportunities and high-value industry opportunities
- Increase networks and ongoing connections across high-value work opportunities
- Grow in confidence, self-belief and belonging in the professional realms, as well as in their identity as a Māori navigating into the future
- Develop skills for the professional workplace while upgrading their CV’s
Developed from a pilot programme that ran over the summer of 2021/22, with support from the Ministry for Primary Industries. The programme was initially delivered across the kiwifruit sector and is now expanding across Primary Industries in 2023-24, and other high-growth sectors in the future.
This video provides an overview of the pilot programme and how we got to where we are today.