Bringing home skills to power Tuvalu
Three Tuvaluan students studying at Wintec will take home vital knowledge to their Pacific Island communities. Wintec journalism student, Lisette Elisala caught up with them to find out more.
Tuvalu has about 11,000 inhabitants, and another 4500 live in New Zealand.
Keukeu Maulini, Fatu Tulaga and Matapoga Katea Vaea are three of 16 scholars from Tuvalu studying in New Zealand under one of two programmes made available each year.
All three are at Wintec’s Rotokauri campus.
One is a mechanic who will be able to service modern vehicles, and the other two will use their new skills on the country’s electric infrastructure system.
Keukeu Maulini comes from the island of Nanumea and is on his last semester to complete the New Zealand Certificate in Automotive, Level 3.
He says the short term programme will improve his skills in working on modern vehicles which are imported into Tuvalu. Many of those vehicles are used in construction and infrastructure works, at plants and for government transport.
Keukeu’s current role is assistant mechanic at the Tuvalu public works department.
Fatu Tulaga hails from the northern island of the group Nanumaga. He is studying for New Zealand certificate in Electrical Pre-Trade (Level 3).
“As technology continues to grow in this modern world, so must we equip ourselves in new technology,” he said.
Tulanga is a workshop supervisor at the Nanumaga Island town council (Nanumaga Kaupule). He said the programme is important in teaching him new technology. He will also pass on what he has learned to other electricians.
The programme is important to his country, town council, families and the Tuvalu Electricity Corporation, he said.
Matapoga Katea Vaea, from the island of Vaitupu, was grateful learning opportunities were being offered to a developing country like Tuvalu in New Zealand.
It’s his first time in New Zealand and he enjoys the culture, people and the weather.
He will also go home with new learnings to help the electrical section of the Tuvalu Public Works department and would come back to New Zealand for further study if the opportunity arose.
He is on course to complete his Certificate in Electrical engineering (Level 3) by the end of this semester.
The Ministry of Education says nine scholars from Tuvalu are on the Manaaki Tertiary programme and another seven are on individual short-term training. Senior Development programme coordinator at the New Zealand office in Tuvalu Belinda Malaefou said Manaaki scholarships are advertised in the island in January to February every year, and short term training is advertised to the public from August to September.
