Empowering our Rangatahi: Supporting Gather Foundation’s Place Cadets Project

Over the past few months, the Place Cadets project, spearheaded by Gather Foundation and Gather Landscape Architecture, has been making significant strides at Te Kōmanawa Rowley Avenue School, working with tamariki to co-design and construct an area of their outdoor environment. Switched Building Solutions jumped at the opportunity to be involved in the initiative to foster collaboration and innovation among the enthusiastic tamariki.  

The project was an opportunity for Switched On to continue supporting educational outcomes for low socio-economic kura, Māori and Pasifika. Dan Baker, General Manager at Switched On Building Solutions says the Gather Foundation Place Cadets project allowed the business to help local hapori in an impactful way. 

“The work that Gather Foundation do with local tamariki is incredible! Offering our connections and skills to support the cause was a no brainer for us. Empowering the next generation to get stuck in and giving them the opportunity to feel that sense of pride that comes with leading and completing a construction project is priceless” Baker says. 
 
Dan and his team partnered with PlaceMakers and Leedsafe to provide materials and mini hi-vis vests for the kids as they embarked on the concept and build phases of their project.  

Year 5 and 6 tamariki have been working alongside professional landscape architects, designers and educators and have identified a need for safe structures that provide hiding spots, shelter, and places to get up high and spend time together in small groups. They also expressed that trees are super important to them, so their final creation will relate strongly to the school’s native forest and local ecosystem.  

Landscape Architect and Chair of Gather Foundation Wendy Hoddinott says “TeKōmanawa means 'the springs' and the land where the school now stands was once a part of Te Kuru, a large wetland that drained the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River. The soils here are the same found at Pūtarikamotu Riccarton Bush, an original forest remnant in Ōtautahiwhere 650-year-old kahikatea trees grow. These trees have been core to the inspiration for the design of our structures.”