On the 15th of June, Kāinga Ora kicked off its first ever Future Squad – Waka Tauira programme with students from Hobsonville Point Secondary School. Participating in Future Squad gives young people an opportunity to learn about housing and urban development. Students are introduced to different aspects of the industry and learn about the various career pathways open to them. The programme was delivered via three full day workshops, after which students can gain NZQA credits. 

During the first workshop, which was held at the Kāinga Ora Hobsonville Point office, the students heard from industry experts and Kāinga Ora staff, Erin Taylor and Kathleen Waldock. Erin is a Development Manager for Hobsonville Point and spoke about what’s involved in developing a community like Hobsonville Point; and Kathleen, who is a manager in the Kāinga Ora placemaking team, talked about how placemaking helps to build a community and strengthen people’s connection to a place.



JP Puleitu, an Advisor for Youth Placemaking, led a co-design workshop where the students were invited to share their thoughts about the community; what they liked and what they thought could be added or changed to make Hobsonville Point an even better place to live, work and play.

During the second workshop, we invited a panel of professionals*, including geotechnical engineers, an architect, a development manager, a marketing manager and an urban planner, to share their career journeys and discuss what it's like to work in our industry. Once the students complete the third workshop, they can then earn NZQA credits to go towards their level 2 or 3 NCEA certificate.

By running these workshops as part of our broader Construction Plus programme, we aim to not only shine a light on potential careers for students, but also to gather feedback on our developments from a youth perspective so that today’s rangitahi are helping to shape our future neighbourhoods. 


Our Future Squad alumni are invited to become a member in the community and continue to influence youth related initiatives for local developments and get direct access to our pathways, internships, apprenticeships and opportunities.

If you would like to be part of our next Future Squad – Waka Tauira, please register online here or email futuresquad@kaingaora.govt.nz. You can learn more about the programme here.

*With thanks to the career panellists:
Deborah Killen (MODE)
AJ Morris (Oculus)
Prisca Tang (Tonkin and Taylor)
Niyati Soni (Kāinga Ora)
Tia Wylie (Kāinga Ora)
Luke Hodgkinson (Kāinga Ora)