"These guys need to learn about quantity surveying, valuing marae for insurance purposes, genealogy, the process of getting buildings fixed, how to get funding, how to get resources, logging, how to cut trees, split logs and salvage.
"They also have to learn about trusts and the workings of organisations like the Department of Conservation."
Mr Rickard said the two-year training period was a big commitment for everyone involved and just the start of an ongoing learning process. He said one year into training, the Tuwharetoa trio - Hayz Isherwood, 24, Tururangi Rowe, 28, and Rangataua Otene, 19 - were making good progress.
Mr Rickard usually spent two days a week at the centre training and assessing their progress. The students also work in the field.
He said maintaining concentration was the key to success.
"The whole thing about carving is self-discipline.
"Whakairo means using all four parts of the brain, using teaching processes that we have had for hundreds of years."
After 50 years as a carver, Mr Rickard has his own systems well worked out.
He usually gets office work out of the way early and then carves until "something else pops up".
"The older you are the better you get and I can pretty much do a week's work in two to three hours."
He said carving was a great way to "keep the mind centred".
"You don't have to worry about the world going here and there because you know what your job is."
He recently returned from a trip to Brazil after working on a carved piece that has been gifted to the city of Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics.
He said the opportunities for the Tuwharetoa students were huge.
"As long as they fulfil their marae obligations there are opportunities to make their carving part of a tourist platform.
"The dots are all there; it's just a matter of joining them up."
