October 2017: Tyron Pedrochi works full time at Wairarapa Moana Farm after starting a Whānau Ora plan with paeārahi Leanne Karauna.

“I help with the milking, cleaning around the farms, going on the paddocks to weed anything that the boss wants done,” he says.

“Dairy farming was something I wanted to do and I told Leanne who organised a meeting with one of the big bosses. I had an interview on the phone with him and he sussed it out for me,” Tyrone says.

The 16-year-old knew that school wasn’t a good fit for him.

“I like being able to get out of town, away from anything negative. In school being in classes all day I was getting fidgety but on the farm I’m outside in the open, it’s a lot more hands on which I enjoy.”

Leanne says Tyron was on a Whānau Ora plan to look at alternatives to formal education.

“We are excited for him, he’s the first of our local kids of recent who have been offered an opportunity like this. Normally we just haven’t had these opportunities before.”

Leanne says she was in discussion with the general manager leading up to an official employment offer to Tyron.

“It’s not just the plan, we are navigators we have to know what’s going on in our backyard,” she says.

“I spoke with the general manager and said we can help him, there’s whānau here, we can support him. Wairarapa Moana are offering an opportunity to have a pathway not just a worker but to look at developing himself.”

Obtaining drivers licenses, employment and housing was still significant for local whānau, Leanne says.

“There could be further opportunities for others soon so that’s very positive for our whānau to have local training and career opportunities.”