From cadetship to career opportunities, three young wāhine have recently secured roles at Tauranga City Council after graduating from the Piki Ake cadetship programme.

Sierra Laurent, Jessy Gurnick, and Jazzmine Mcdonald graduated from the programme in June after 12 months working in teams across Council.

Piki Ake was established in 2022 to provide unemployed young people with the opportunity to gain valuable experience in entry level roles at Council on a fixed-term basis.

The programme has been a huge success, with six graduates landing continued employment opportunities and a further six cadets currently in the programme.

Sierra’s growth is testament to this success. She cites the programme as “life-changing”.

“I’d recently moved to Tauranga with my young son. As a single, unemployed mother with no family support, it was daunting,” says Sierra. “When I saw the opportunity to apply for the cadetship, I went for it.”

Sierra was based in the libraries during her cadetship and is now employed as a Library and Community Hub Assistant on a casual contract.

“My life is completely different now. I have so much more confidence in myself, and I’ve learned how to juggle being a parent while working, despite having no family nearby for support. The Council has become that support and I’m so grateful for that.”

It’s a sentiment Jessy shares. She applied for the cadetship while working a part-time retail job and receiving a benefit. With a desire to grow as an individual and expand her knowledge in a different work environment, she spent time working in Council’s Community Development team.

“I came into the cadetship lacking confidence and struggling with public speaking, but I was given opportunities to overcome these barriers," says Jessy. "I’m so much more comfortable now, both in myself and in speaking.

“I’m now an advisor in the Contact Centre and I’m really enjoying it. It’s challenging at times, but the variety of phone calls we receive means no two days are the same.”

Jazzmine joined the Geographic Info Systems (GIS) team during her cadetship and recently secured a three-month fixed-term contract to further develop her administration skills and provide support to Council’s growing City Operations team.

“I learnt so much during my time in the GIS team, including how to use various software and map out building outlines across the city,” says Jazzmine.

“It was great to feel like part of the team and be out in the community assisting with field work. Through this experience I’ve gained confidence in communicating with people and asking for help when I need it.

“Now I’m working in the City Operations team. I like that it’s a down-to-earth team with practical work and processes, and I’m really enjoying being part of that. I hope to be able to apply the skills I’ve learnt from both teams to secure a permanent position in the future.”

The next intake for the Piki Ake cadetship programme will commence in March 2025 in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).

To learn more about the Piki Ake cadetship programme, visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/pikiake.