Alternative education centre

The Champagnat Marist community of Kaikohe, in Northland, is involved in a number of activities to support young people in a marginalised rural area of New Zealand.  The town is about 75Kms from where Bishop Pompallier and the first Brothers sent by Marcellin Champagnat arrived in 1838.

Three days a week the Brothers support the local alternative education centre.  This caters for approximately 15 students who have been excluded from local secondary schools.  The Brothers work with students in their on-line literacy and numeracy programmes through the Correspondence School.

The Brothers also assist in proving support for Correspondence School students from remote rural areas who are unable to access secondary schooling due to their isolation.  The Correspondence School Tutors come to Kaikohe every fortnight.  The Brothers have been able to extend the programme so that students are able to access this assistance weekly.

Once a Term, Enviro Skills offers an over-night camp for twenty-five students from remote areas to learn agricultural skills such as chain sawing, possum trapping, skinning and fur plucking, quad bike safety and maintenance, First Aid and fencing.  These courses are registered with the National Qualifications Authority and provide an employment pathway for many students.