Trade School Kitchen had a surprise visit last Thursday from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Ardern was in Naenae with Minister Chris Hipkins to announce shovel-ready funding for the Naenae Pool. TSK Director Nic Drew-Crawshaw says that the Naenae Pools have been closed since April 2019, posing additional challenges to the viability of the suburban cafe which aims to bridge those who face barriers to work into employment in the hospitality sector. “The Naenae pool used to bring 450,000 visitors down Everest Avenue. The closure due to earthquake safety really held back the lifeblood of our neighbourhood centre.”

Before the announcement, Ardern came to Trade School Kitchen and spent some time with the hard-working team, as well as a bunch of other locals, all delighted with the news about the pool. Nic spent time talking with her about their innovative approach to social business, and parts of government legislation that currently don’t serve their model as well as they could. “Schemes like Flexi-wage aren’t setup for groups like us who aim to employ people short-term and provide holistic support before providing pathways into the mainstream workforce.” Nic also painted the picture of the Trade School Kitchen as part of St David’s Naenae’s wider wrap-around support in the community; “Employment is good, but community is transformative.”

Alongside brass tacks conversations about policy, Nic also boasted that Trade School Kitchen makes the best cheese scone in the Hutt Valley - no mean feat given the shear volume of cheese scones consumed in the Hutt Valley each day! The proof was in the pudding as the Prime Minister confirmed it was the best she’d tried in the Hutt that day. The Prime Minister made a point of telling this to Emily, one of the TSK employees who got up early that morning to make them. 

Above all, Ardern’s visit served to pump up the morale of a team who have worked incredibly hard over the last two years, often amidst challenging business circumstances like Covid-19 and the pool closure. “The Trade School journey has been a tough one at moments over the past year, but having her visit assured us all that what we’re doing is powerful and note-worthy. The team are still buzzing about it days later.”

From today August 3rd for one month, TSK will be celebrating their second birthday by offering a different cake and coffee deal each week for just $9. You can find out more about their Birthday festivities here.

By Scottie Reeve