Six prisoners from Whanganui Prison recently received a marae catering qualification, a first in the prison.
The 14 week National Certificate in Marae Catering Level 2 course is run in partnership with UCOL in Whanganui.
The men, a majority of whom were graduates of the prison's Te Tirohanga programme, learned cultural guidelines for preparing food, and put their new skills to the test by creating dishes and serving them to guests at the prison. Te Tirohanga is the national kaupapa Maori rehabilitation programme and operates in Whanganui, Waikeria, Rimutaka, Tongariro and Hawkes Bay regional prisons.
"The skills gained from this course have many positives," said Elizabeth Manchee, the prison's assistant prison director.
"The men understand the importance of making better nutritional choices, can practise safe food handling and can demonstrate a basic knowledge of contamination hazards and control methods all within a tikanga environment.