Flaxmere College students Chiquita Kiwara and William Apirana delivering the food to Flaxmere police station. Photo / Warren Buckland
Flaxmere College students Chiquita Kiwara and William Apirana delivering the food to Flaxmere police station. Photo / Warren Buckland
Flaxmere College students decided to take over the school kitchen on Wednesday to cook a meal for the essential workers who kept the suburb ticking during lockdown.
The 100 two-course lunches were part of an assessment for a NCEA level 3 catering course at the school.
Last year, meals fromthe course were given to Swansea Village, this year the class of 18 decided to give them to local essential workers.
The meals were delivered to essential workers from Flaxmere New World, Flaxmere Pharmacy and Flaxmere Police by some of the students at lunchtime.
From left: Quinntana Wanoa, Nicklaus Ropiha and Memory Tangi from Flaxmere College making a meal to thank essential workers who worked through lockdown. Photo / Warren Buckland
Year 13 student Mereana Clarke said the essential workers were an obvious choice.
"When we were all at home with our whānau, they were at work keeping the community going and keeping us safe. For them to sacrifice their time with their loved ones, for us – that needs to be acknowledged."
Food technology and hospitality teacher Stephanie Moore said all three of the recipient organisations have close relationships with the school.
Many of the students also have part-time jobs at the New World and wanted to give back, she said.
Moore said the class uses locally grown and in-season food so it was important to also keep it local when deciding where the meals went.
While managers at the receiving locations knew about the delivery, it was a surprise for some of the essential workers.
Year 12 student Nick Pritchard said the class wanted to give the meals to essential workers to "appreciate how hard they worked during lockdown".
He said the class was making a Vietnamese pork and cabbage dish and a lemon sponge cake with cream for dessert.
William Apirana of Flaxmere College checks the oven temperature for a meal to thank essential workers who worked through lockdown. Photo / Warren Buckland
Year 11 student Titoku Hakopa said the class was aiming to get the meals prepared fast and the process of all the students working together was going well.
They began at 9am and delivered the meals about 1pm.
"I think it is great that they have thought of our local workers," acting principal Jim Hay-Mackenzie said.
"It shows that the students understand the importance of their mahi in the community and that they are willing to put time into preparing and serving kai for them."
Moore said the three-day course is based on cooking in a marae setting so alongside food hygiene, health and safety and preparation, they also learn the tikanga associated with food preparation at a marae.
"The students really enjoy it, they get pleasure out of sharing what they make," she said.
The class has a mix of male and female students as well as a few from the Teen Parent Unit.
It is the second year the course has run and previously students had prepared meals for Anzac Day and Swansea Village.
