Rotorua school leaver is thriving in her new forestry job

On International Women’s Day (8 March) Competenz is celebrating wahine toa in trades careers. The theme for the annual celebration is Accelerate Action and is a worldwide call to take swifter and more decision action towards gender equality. Shael (Pihenga) Takao’s emerging success in the forestry trade underscores the growing presence and success of women in trades and her story is an example of women thriving in traditionally male-dominated industries while contributing to their sector’s growth.

When Shael (Pihenga) Takao left school 18 months ago she had no idea where her future lay – but now, thanks to a collaborative network of industry partners, she is on the fast track to success in the forestry industry.

A valued crew member at CMH Contracting, Pihenga is based in Kaingaroa Forest where she is mastering the art of quality control, chainsaw operation and digger driving. Not only that but she’s working towards her NZ Certificate in Basic Machine Operation through Competenz, and eventually hopes to pathway into a silviculture apprenticeship.

“It’s cool being out in the forest and socialising with the crew,” says the 19 year old. “I enjoy putting in the plots, and I’m looking forward to learning the ropes on the harvester. When people ask me where I work they’re always surprised and say, ‘That’s a manly job!’ but I never really thought about it like that. I’m the youngest in the company and the only female in my crew but everyone looks after me.”

Pihenga had never envisioned forging a career in forestry – in fact she fell into it almost by accident. Now that she’s here though, she’s on cloud nine, and is busy injecting some female ‘eye for detail’ into the traditionally male-dominated sector.

“My cousin was doing a free Level 3 pruning and planting course through Rotomā No. 1 and asked me to do it with her so that she wouldn’t be the only girl. I figured I’d rather be out in the forest than sitting at home doing nothing all day, so I signed up, and I loved it. The guys were stronger, faster and better than me at doing the pruning in the beginning, but once I learned the techniques I started catching them up.”

Rotomā No. 1 is a Māori-owned Bay of Plenty forest estate that focuses on sustainable forestry practices, and provides training opportunities and employment pathways for the community. Learners benefit from a strong pastoral care support system based on the Te Whare Tapawhā framework, as well as access to expertise and partnerships with the community, whānau and stakeholders. For Pihenga, it has proven to be the ideal launchpad.

“I’m really proud of myself for making it this far and I’m excited about the future. I didn’t know anything about forestry before Rotomā No. 1 and I was also really shy, but the course taught me a lot and boosted my confidence. It was a great transition from school leaver into adulthood – the perfect stepping stone.”

Rotomā No. 1 programme leader Abe Whata says Pihenga “always showed promise”.

“She came straight out of school as an intelligent young lady ready to enter the workforce,” says Abe.  “She didn’t know what she wanted to do but took an opportunity to join our programme which led her to gain qualifications she may not have received elsewhere. Consequently with the help of Competenz, she was introduced to CMH Contracting, and obtained a position in their company as a full-time employee.”

Together Rotomā No. 1, Competenz, and employers like CMH Contracting are creating long-term opportunities for young people keen to transition into the forestry sector.

Adds Abe, “Rotomā No. 1 takes a by Māori for Māori approach, creating a seamless pathway to employment and partnerships with existing educational providers such as Competenz who guide us to gain unit standard core qualifications. Qualifications like this bolster participants’ CVs and give them a sense of achievement.

“Collaboration with stakeholders is vital. Networking with potential employers and external educational providers opens doors. It also provides opportunities to upskill, enhances productivity and boosts safety awareness.”

As a trusted industry training partner, Competenz works alongside businesses like Rotomā No. 1 to grow skilled, motivated teams that contribute to increased productivity and satisfaction. Their goal?  To encourage more employers in the forestry industry to invest in apprenticeships and training.

Competenz training advisor and account manager Hamish Gunn says that this collaboration is key to supporting learners to build rewarding careers in forestry, and Rotomā No. 1 plays a vital role in that process.

“Rotomā No. 1 Inc have been pivotal to Pihenga’s success,” says Hamish.  “Obviously working in a forest and being assessed for forestry unit standards is important but the holistic approach to how the Rotomā No. 1 course is run and the wrap around support they provide is awesome. Students are treated like people not economic units which is really important.

“Competenz offers advice on and moderation of the forestry unit standards delivered, as well as assessor development and support to staff. Also as an account manager for Competenz I’m able to identify good employers and introduce prospective employees to them. This helps manage the risk for both parties.”

Hamish introduced Pihenga to the CMH Contracting team and he says she hasn’t looked back.

“Adding a personal touch to introducing people to the forest industries is working well. It’s only on a very small scale so far, but it takes a lot of the stress out of what can be a very intimidating step for someone who hasn’t worked in a forest (or anywhere for that matter).”

In the four months since joining the CMH team Pihenga has made her mark, and her boss, crew operation manager Ash Mason, reckons she has a bright future ahead.

“When Hamish first brought Pihenga out to site we were meant to take three people to look at the job, but Pihenga was the only one who made the 5am pick up!” says Ash. “The hardest thing nowadays is getting young people out of bed. Pihenga was keen and showed interest, and although we didn’t really have a job for her, we were thinking ahead. I knew she had a good basic grounding in silviculture from Rotomā No. 1 and we are also really keen to hire females as they have great attention to detail. Guys are a bit more ‘as she goes’.”

Ash hopes that by continuing to work with Competenz and Rotomā No. 1 they’ll be able to nurture more talent like Pihenga,  and breathe some fresh life into the industry.

“We have an aging workforce. The majority of our people are over 50, we have quite a few in their 60s and even have guys in their 70s. They’re going to have to retire sooner or later, and we need to develop a strong pipeline of talent to replace them.”

Luckily, as Hamish points out, collaborations like these make achieving those goals a whole lot easier.

“Having well prepared motivated students, a Competenz account manager that can make things happen, and an employer that’s willing to take a chance and look after someone new to the industry is the key to success,” he says.