What next?
Final mixed product (click to enlarge)
While she is pleased with Kai Hauora's success, Marietjie says that the students had to put a lot of work into the enterprise, and that possibly a scholarship opportunity was lost because of that. She would be happy to work on an Enterprising Technology project again, but would want to do it in a different structure. She suggests that it would be better done as an Enterprise Studies project where she, as a Food Technology teacher, would work with the Enterprise teacher to provide the support and workspace students require to develop a product. She thinks this could be achieved successfully in a team-teaching situation in which two classes could run simultaneously, with the Enterprise Studies and Food Technology teachers sharing those classes and teaching their areas of expertise, and assessing students under Enterprise Studies NCEA standards.
Marietjie has left the classroom temporarily and in 2009 is working at Massey University Wellington and Palmerston North campuses on a New Zealand Science, Mathematics and Technology Teaching Fellowship. The focus of her fellowship is product development - she will be looking at the food science involved in this and developing experiments suitable for using with Food Technology classes.
Harry is studying engineering at Victoria University and Zoe, who was awarded a Weltec Secondary Schools Scholarship, is working towards a degree in catering and a career as a chef.
In early 2009 the pair had developed a business plan to restart Kai Hauora and sell their pretzels and biscotti, to fund their tertiary study. They met with Marietjie to discuss the possibilities and practicalities if this went ahead, and she enthusiastically supports their proposition. "This is a concept that has got potential, and I'll buy into the business if that ensures it goes ahead".
