Seasonal workers build kennels

Migrant vineyard workers from the Pacific are building dog kennels as a way of trialing house building.

Fifteen Recognised Seasonal Employees (RSE) from Seddon, south of Blenheim, have put their hands up to build three dog kennels for SPCA New Zealand as part of a building course.

The Vakameasina course, run in summer and winter, aims to teach seasonal workers English, carpentry, numeracy and first aid skills, with a focus this year on dog kennels.

Vinecraft vineyard worker Hardy Towyem, who was on his third vintage in Marlborough, said building the kennels taught him and his fellow workers much-needed construction skills, like how to lay a housing foundation.

‘‘We find it hard to build our own houses in Vanuatu as it costs a lot of money for labour and materials. But with these skills, you can go back and do it by yourself,’’ he said.

He planned to return home after the harvest season and continue work on a stronger house for his family, he said.

‘‘The foundations, wallings, and roof have all been done. There’s just the painting left to do,’’ he said.

The free course also allowed the men to give back to the region’s communities, Towyem said.

Vinecraft vineyard worker Kevin Remo, here on his first vintage in Marlborough, said he was also building a house for his family in Vanuatu, and was enjoying the course.

The first lesson the course taught was first aid, in case of a workplace accident, which was a valuable skill set for the men to learn, he said.

‘‘Some people die in Vanuatu because we don’t know how to do first aid, and our villages are very far away from a hospital,’’ he said.

The group were also learning computer skills as part of the course, which could be taken home and shared, he said.

Fruition Horticulture course tutor Andrea Johnston-Taylor said the dog kennels acted like small-scale houses, as they needed a foundation, structural panels and painting.

More frequent cyclones in the Pacific Ocean had also prompted the team behind the course to teach the men how to make a structure more cyclone proof, she said.

The men worked in three groups of five to build the dog kennels, which ‘‘teaches them to work together’’, she said.

‘‘It also teaches them literacy, numeracy and practical skills.’’ Once completed, the kennels would be donated to SPCA New Zealand, who would decide where to place them, she said.

The group were on their ninth session of the 10-week-long course, and were due to graduate on Monday.

The Vakameasina course was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s New Zealand aid programme.

CHLOE RANFORD/ STUFF RSE workers in front of the three dog kennels they built.