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Tegan Ramage

Tegan Ramage

(Administrative Assistant)

Fire, LUVs and Kapa Haka – Tauira happenings this month!

Kaloni Taylor using the CO2 extinguisher under the supervision of Daniel Munro.
Welcome to Pekapeka camp in Tawanui (left to right) Moi Parata (Kurī), Kaloni Taylor, Raniera Smyth, Josiah Kawana, Riki Parata, Josh Aitken and Sentre Harden

The tauira have had a busy month starting on Monday, with Daniel Munro from PWFP Fire Safety who came to the Hokonui Rūnanga to train te Taiao tīma and tauira in fire extinguisher training.

Daniel ran the tīma through the different fire classes ranging from A to F, the different extinguishers available, how to identify them from their colour bands and how to read the information displayed on the bottles. We watched a short film of the Bradford City stadium fire in 1985 and human reactions around such instances and ended our day with an assessment of what we had learnt.

The highlight of the day for all participants was the practical. This gave all the tīma an opportunity to put all that newfound knowledge into practice, by applying PTASS (Pull, Test, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep) while putting out an actual fire on a specially designed trailer.

The tauira had a great time using the different extinguishers and being able to see how each extinguisher put out a fire, for instance Josh Aitken used the dry powder extinguisher which amazed Kaloni Taylor at how quiet this extinguisher was compared to the CO2 extinguisher. Raniera Smyth also had a chance to test the foam extinguisher and seeing how this was more liquid form then the powder and CO2 type.

Light Utility Vehicle (LUV) training

The tauira started their day off on the right foot by setting up camp and were rewarded with the fun stuff, like swimming and the setting up the hīnaki which, they were responsible for the overseeing and the monitoring. It was great to see Kaloni Taylor really getting in there, his commitment was commendable. Raniera Smyth, the self-appointed leader continued to oversee the other tauira throughout the day, making sure they were checking the hīnaki correctly or to simply ensure they hadn’t drowned during the process.

Following Monday’s fire extinguishing training, our tauira completed their LUV training on Tuesday and Wednesday with the help of Leon McMiller (aka Macca) from Vertical Horizons, and our very own Abby-Lee Evans (Kaitiaki Taiao Training Coordinator) who helped Macca oversee the boys during this two-day course.

The tauira completed theory work, knowledge in and around LUV’s practical application of hooking up trailers and driving.

Some of the feedback, highlights or lessons learnt from our tauira are listed below:

Group photo of tauira with the LUV (Left to Right) Back row: Kaloni Taylor, Josh Aitken – Front row: Sentre Harden, Rogan Marsh and Raniera Smyth.
Group photo of tauira with the LUV (Left to Right) Back row: Kaloni Taylor, Josh Aitken – Front row: Sentre Harden, Rogan Marsh and Raniera Smyth.

Raniera SymthI learnt how to operate a LUV properly and under the supervision of an actual person

He also shared how 10% of the load on the trailer should be over the middle axle of the trailer.

Sentre Harden: Enjoyed the fact that he “Got to have a tutu with the LUVs

Kaloni Taylor: Explained how at the end of each day all tauira had to mention two things that they had learnt, and he found this to be very useful at retaining information given over the two days.

Josiah Kawana: He learnt multiple things, such as the safety of a trailer and LUV, different parts, and how to drive them.

He also showed his appreciation for “having a tutor we can vibe with” and this sentiment was shared by all the tauira.

Rogan Marsh: He learnt how to catch traction when coming downhill, for instance if the back wheel starts sliding you feather the accelerator and that will catch traction, instead of breaking.

All the tauira explained, about REVWARM, which is abbreviated for, Route you should take, Environmental impact you are having on the environment, Vehicles state, Weather, Actions you take, your Responsibilities and Me, as in are you capable of operating a LUV.

kapa haka

Ending Kapa Haka session with a group photo.
Ending Kapa Haka session with a group photo.

The week ended with, the tauira along with ākonga from St Peters College, Gore High School, Blue Mountain College, and Menzies College joining in the kapa haka session led and facilitated by Courtney Bennett with tautoko from Matu Coleman Clarke and Ihakara Piripi-Burgman, who brought their “A” game and their mean skills to this excited group of rangatahi! – who learnt, put actions too and sung their hearts out! They should all be proud of their achievements.

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