He Toki Carpentry Trades Training

About the programme

Get the skills and support you need to succeed in the construction industry in Te Waipounamu.

With He Toki, you'll be supported to gain a New Zealand Certificate in Construction Trade Skills (Level 3) in carpentry - but with a difference. You’ll get a unique and empowering learning experience that has te reo, tikaka and mentorship at the heart of everything. 

Talk to us if you:

• identify as Māori or Pasifika,
• are 16-40 years old,
• want to learn and earn in a practical, hands-on environment and
• want a rewarding career in carpentry.

He Toki is more than a study pathway – it's a journey with a support network

He Toki supports whānau to gain skills and qualifications, connect with iwi and explore industry opportunities - with the goal of securing wealth-enriching futures for Māori and Pasifika. 

He Toki’s strengths are in building relationships and offering a personalised and encouraging approach to learning, to ensure that you have a sustainable study/life balance.

• It challenges traditional teaching methods.
• It arms people with practical and employable skills in a required trade.
• It embeds te reo and tikaka into day-to-day operations.
• It applies an ako/tuakana-teina approach to offer guidance and mentorship with a Māori-specific context.

Why you should join He Toki for your carpentry training

He Toki aims to enrich carpentry trades education to grow the Māori and Pasifika workforce. It brings together iwi, industry, educational institutions, community organisations and government agencies.

Since it was established in 2011, He Toki has prepared over 1000 trainees for jobs in the trades sector.

Now is the time to start your career in carpentry. 

Carpentry is about constructing and maintaining buildings. There are big construction projects happening in Dunedin and Central Otago, so there is a high demand for qualified carpenters. 

This programme gives you the work-ready skills to enter the construction trades as an apprentice carpenter working under supervision. 

With additional training and/or experience, you could become a carpenter, junior and senior foreperson, or be self-employed. 

During your studies you will enjoy hands-on training in our workshops and the chance to be involved in real-world, community-based building projects – which will lead to you gaining knowledge about health and safety, trade calculations and hand tools.

Entry

Entry requirements

• Open entry.
• Special and discretionary admission options are available.
• If English is not your first language, you must provide:
  • New Zealand University Entrance OR
  • Overall Academic IELTS 5.0 with no individual band score lower than 5.0 (achieved in one test completed in the last two years), OR
  • Acceptable alternative evidence of the required IELTS (see here for NZQA proficiency table and here for list of recognised proficiency tests).

If you need to improve your English Language skills, we offer a wide range of English programmes.