On the night of the Wednesday 23rd October at the Copthorne hotel we represented Tikipunga High School’s Te Pūtahitanga Unit at the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (Y.E.S) Northland Regional awards for 2019.
As a competing finalist our company Peke Hangarua was nominated in three categories which were:
- Dave Templeton Award for commitment
- Circular Solutions Award for Excellence in Sustainability
- BDO Award for Best Rangatahi Business
The competition was fiercely contested amongst 29 secondary schools, with 19 of these schools making the regional finals. Even though we didn’t come away with an award this time, it was acknowledged that Te Pūtahitanga was the first special needs unit to make the Regional finals of the Y.E.S.
The students in this year’s Y.E.S programme are: Byron Apiata, Shayla Smyth – Puhara, Adam Faithfull, Shannon Paraha, Jahleah Pickering, Rangi Dunn, Logan Pook, Serena Heta, Toni Nepia – Taitimu, Te Maharanoa Nahi can be commended for their perseverance and outstanding hard work in the Y.E.S challenge.
A special mihi goes out to all our Te Pūtahitanga staff that continue to inspire our students to dream big.