I tū te pōwhiri mō Stephen Town i Te Kōpū Mānia marae i Wintec ki Kirikiriroa. Kua tīmata ia hei Kaiwhakahere Mātāmua tuatahi o New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology.
E kaingākau ana a Stephen, te Kaiwhakahaere Mātāmua o mua o te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau ki te kawe ake i tana tūranga hou, me tōna aronui ki ngā mātātaki me ngā huarahi ka heipū mai.
“Ko tēnei huarahi kei mua i a tātou, he kōtuku rerenga tahi tōna rite, arā kia waihanga i tētahi pūnaha mātauranga ahumahinga kairangi, mauroa hoki e whakahono ana i ngā tāngata ki te ako tūroa tonu, e whakakaha ana i ngā hapori, ā, ko te mutunga atu, kua noho hei papa mō te mauroanga ā-ōhanga, ā-pāpori hoki o Aotearoa.”
“Hei mahi nui tēnei kei mua i a tātou, nō reira kia kaha tātou ki te whakatītina i te panoni mahitahi kia tutuki i te whāinga roa, arā, kia raka tonu a Aotearoa i te pai o te rāngai mātauranga ahumahinga me te whakangungu, āianei, ā, e haere ake nei.” te kī a Stephen.
“E anga whakamua nei ahau kia mahitahi me ngā tāngata katoa i roto i te rāngai kia taea e tātou he panoni mauroa, tino whaihua.”
E manawareka ana a Murray Strong te Heamana NZIST i te mea kua tīmata a Stephen hei Kaiwhakahaere Mātāmua tuatahi.
“E harikoa ana mātou kua whiwhi mātou i tētahi momo tangata pēnei i a Stephen mō tēnei tūranga nui whakahirahira, matatini hoki. He nui ngā mahi mā tātou ki te whakakotahi i te mātauranga ahumahinga me te whakangungu i rō wāhi mahi, i te kura, tuihono hoki mā roto i tētahi kōtuinga kotahi, mauroa e taea ana i tēnā, i tēnā rohe huri noa.”
“Ko te whai kia māuru i ngā taumahatanga o te urutā COVID-19 ki ngā hapori ka mea he tino whaitake tonu tā mātou mahi. Nā runga i te hiranga o ngā mahi kua oti i a Stephen i āna mahi o mua e whakapono ana au e kaha ana ia ki te whakawhāiti mai i ngā tāngata i roto i ngā wā o te panoni nui, ki te āwhina i a tātou ki te whakatutuki i ō mātou hiahia.”
I whakamihia e Murray a Chris Collins mōna i kawe i te tūranga Kaiwhakahaere Mātāmua mō te wā o te whakawhiti, me te whakahaere i NZIST i roto i marama i mua i te taenga mai o Stephen. “E mihi ana te Kaunihera ki a Chris mōna i kawe i tēnei tūranga i ngā marama ka taha ake nei.”
Mō te wā e whakatuhia ana te tari matua o NZIST ki Kirikiriroa, ka mahi a Stephen mai i Tāmaki Makaurau me Te Whanganui-a-Tara, ā, ka whakaanga hoki ia ki ngā pūtahi ā-motu me ngā kuratini 16 kua huri ināianei hei āpitihanga NZIST.