Barber students at Taranaki's largest tertiary education provider are heading back to school as part of a community project offering free haircuts.
The students are smashing out haircuts to meet course requirements, while easing the cost of living crisis for families, in what is being described as a win-win for everyone involved.
WITT level four barbering tutor Ben Allen. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki level four barbering tutor Ben Allen said the project was modelled on similar initiatives he had witnessed in Auckland.
"So we came together as a group and my colleagues said 'how about we go and do some schools' and I said 'yup let's do that'.
"We made a couple of phone calls and the first school we did was Marfell Primary School.
"That was really cool. We were welcomed with open arms there and we were doing kids that had never had their hair cut by a barber before, so it was a really nice treat for them too."
The trainee barbers had since visited Devon Intermediate and Pātea Area School.
Allen said it was a win-win situation.
"Yeah, so my guys get their assessments done. They have to meet certain criteria and have a certain amount of haircuts to do with specific use of tools, instruments and styles of the cut as well.
"So, they can come here, we can work on the people and the people get a free haircut as well."
Trainee barber Dustin Snowden gives teacher Steve Leppard a trim. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Allen said schools had been chosen so as not to disrupt professional barbers flow of clientele too much.
Trainee barber Dustin Snowden used to attend Coastal School.
He was giving woodwork teacher Steve Leppard a haircut.
"I'm just tapering the back of his neck, just taking a bit of hair off and blending it back into the rest of the fade I guess. The rest of the haircut.
He'd been pointed in the direction of becoming a barber.
"I kind of got offered to come and do the course and went and did it and after that have liked it ever since. It's kind of fun to cut hair."
He had his future mapped out.
"I've got a fulltime job lined up after the course, so hopefully that works out well and I'll stay there for a few years and then maybe go travel the world or something hopefully."
Leppard was happy to volunteer his locks for a trim.
"It gives the guys a chance, gives them some practice. It doesn't matter too much with mine what it looks like, but I'm quite sure it's going to look great.
"He's doing really well. I've had some real butchers at times, but he's very good."
Trainer barber Velinder Simon. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Trainee barber Velinder Simon was looking to return to the workforce.
"I've been at home being a mum for the past six years, so this is something new. I always wanted my son to walk out the front door looking fresh, so this it for me.
"I have a job. I have my skills and I have my friends and family that can't make it to the shop that come and see me afterwards."
She says the school visits have been great.
"We get to smash out a lot of assessments as well and we get to listen to what the kids want to do with their lives too and that's pretty cool. Everyone's got a story. I like listening to what the kids want to do."
Coastal student Teina Pauro haircut came with a caveat.
"I just asked for a buzz cut but to leave my 'horsey'. It's just a cool hairstyle and when you braid it up it's good for the ladies yeah."
Coastal School acting deputy principal Sarah Oke. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Coastal School acting deputy principal Sarah Oke said the barbers' visit could not have been better timed.
"We know it is difficult for some of our learners in particular to get haircuts; there's a cost barrier involved.
"So, we do provide for our students already and we pay our local barber to do that and it increases their confidence and makes them feel better about themselves and we get better outcomes in the classroom.
"So, for us this is something very special and we have our school ball on Thursday, so we're going to be looking fresh for a school ball as well."
Meanwhile, WITT was set to announce later this week how many of 18 fulltime equivalent positions would be lost as part of the unravelling of Te Pukenga.