Pre-planning
Beacon practice: In the very first Tararua Chocolates unit, in 2002, Diana saw the need for additional input from a professional food technologist. Through the Royal Society of New Zealand, she made contact with local food technologist and CREST national assessor Carol Pound. Carol has been involved in class visits over the past four years, introducing industry processes and concepts such as sensory testing and providing guidance and advice to Diana in her planning and delivery.
Unit content: After three years of development and refinement, the unit content was largely in place for 2005. Improvements in the 2005 unit had both Food and Materials Technology classes included in the project to ensure continuity in the teaching of technological practice in a student's first Level 1 project. Students would be able to use what they had learnt later in the year when working on their own project in the separate areas. The unit was taught to suit the class ability and incorporated Achievement Standard 1.4 (900048 v2) as an additional option for some students.
Client liaison: For the original unit in 2002, Diana approached local confectionery manufacturer Sweet Foods about developing a chocolate product specifically designed for a client in the community and which could be manufactured at the factory. After some discussion, Sweet Foods agreed to work with the school, and an approach was made to the Tararua District Council to be the first client. They had a new marketing manager, keen to be involved, and so Tararua Chocolates began in 2002. In this first year the sudden departure of the marketing manager meant the council did not have time to follow the product through so the class was not able to produce the chocolate product for the stakeholder. Tararua District Council was the client again the following year and the class was able to produce a quality chocolate product for them. In 2004 the client was the Tararua College Board of Trustees and the following year Hillcrest School in Pahiatua.
Hillcrest Principal Christine Law was happy to become involved as the client for 2005 because the project was child oriented, involving students at both schools, and included the Board of Trustees and wider school community. Some of the Tararua students had come through Hillcrest and this knowledge of the school's culture could came through in the designs produced, as, in fact, it turned out to be.
