Ngā Iti Kahurangi – improving classrooms in small or remote schools

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♪ Music playing ♪

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My job? I'm the Managing Director of Abilities Incorporated. Our aim is to

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enrich the lives of people with disabilities.
And these are people with intellectual or mental difficulties.

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Giving people an opportunity every day. Future proofing Abilities Group so

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that's what we work for. People care, we don't have a board that just wants profits. We put people first, and we don't put profits first.

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We get to know our staff really well. Some of them

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arrive here very early in the morning. That's why
I start early,  so there is a place that they can

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come and feel safe. And you get to know them, in
their own way.

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Everyone had a story, and it's nice

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to understand where they come from. And not to judge them.

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We've got a little group of 40 pluses.

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And we saw a few of those today. And yeah, they're
very loyal, and very happy employees we love them.

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Nick's been working here for oh, I don't know,
a long time, about 40 years I think.

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But coming here, it gives, it's a job and it's a proper job, it's for
disabled people. But there are so many people with

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disabilities who get lost in the crowd, and it's
very important for a person to have a purpose in life.

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I came here, over here for work experience
for two weeks, and 40 years later, I'm still here! [Laughs]

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Penny: I think 36 now, yeah.
Rachel: 36 years? You look incredible.
Penny: I know. [Laughs]

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Work for him is really important, and the work they do of course is very important.

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It's a fun place to work and that's the

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environment myself and Peter want to have for
Abilities Group. We make sure that we train

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our staff well enough to achieve those, but we're
never too serious not to have fun, we're never too

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serious not to walk around, greet each other
make sure that everyone has a smile on their face every day.

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Looking at the smiles on their face and the gratitude to have a job, and their pride in being here in their work.

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That's what keeps us coming every day.

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♪ Music playing ♪

The translation of the whakataukī is shown on the screen while being spoken in te reo Māori.

Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tūohu koe, me he maunga teitei.
Pursue that which you treasure, if you are to stumble, let it be upon a lofty mountain.

Ngā Iti Kahurangi was set up to improve the classrooms of our small and remote schools. The name means small and highly valued treasures. It recognises the importance of these schools to their communities and the education of ākonga across New Zealand.

Follow our journey as we work towards ensuring all schools have quality learning environments by 2030.