Where ideas become a reality / Hei whakaea ngā whakaaro

Each subject within this Faculty aims to prepare our students as best we can to be well-informed citizens in terms of the opportunities and constraints new technologies bring, as well as societal and environmental considerations.

Teachers within this faculty have, again this year been involved in further university studies and industry courses to keep pace with the advancements in the technologies available. This modelling of ‘lifelong learning’ by staff has been so important. Students leave Cashmere High with a good grounding in the thought processes behind creating viable solutions and an awareness that they too will have to be ‘lifelong learners’ if they too want to keep up with the advancements in tools, programs, and interfaces they will face in their own careers.

We are sad that Courtney Kelly and Mackenzie Kuli will be leaving this Faculty, as they have both added youth and vibrancy. We wish Mackenzie well as she heads back to her home country of Canada. Our best wishes also go with Courtney, her husband and young son as they make a new life for themselves in Newcastle, Australia.

As I step down from my positions of responsibility at the end of this year, I am delighted that three current teachers of Technology subjects at Cashmere High School are stepping into the roles I am vacating from the beginning of 2025. Leanne Cropp HOD of Digital Technologies will take up the position of Head of Faculty, Hilary Martin as HOD of Architectural & Product Design and Jonathan Kettle as HOD of Multi-Materials.

I extend my thanks to the staff in this Faculty for their support and hard work this year.

We wish our students /ākonga every success and thank the whānau for the support they have provided.

The individual department articles/images that follow, showcases students /ākonga work and industry and community connections.

To the many teachers and thousands of students, who have been a part of this faculty and its journey, and mine over the last three decades - I say a very sincere thank you.

Ngā mihi, nāku noa
nā Karen Kennedy (HOF)

Architectural and Product Design Department / Hoahoanga me Hoahoatanga hua

Innovation by Design / Auahatanga mā te hoahoa

Students within this department create design solutions that are a fit for purpose, for either individuals, whānau or communities and consider societal and environmental considerations as well technologies available. Every year we try to write new design briefs that focus on issues that are either local or relevant to the students.

On Sunday evening 4th August, our senior students held a well-attended public exhibition. Year 13 students exhibited their Co-Living Spatial Designs while Year 12 students exhibited their Camping Pod Spatial Designs. Thanks to PLUVIO ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO for judging at the exhibition.

Year 9 students designed student accommodation huts for the Okains Bay/Kawatea area. This is a unique location with both Māori and colonial history documented and on display in the local museum and with the introduction of the new History Curriculum an excellent destination for Ōtautahi schools.

The Year 10 Spatial Design brief was inspired by the redevelopment of existing buildings in central Ōtautahi, such a Little High and Riverside. Students produced conceptual designs for a café/food kiosk. Their Product Design project was for a children’s travel pack, such as issued on AirNZ, using simple flatpack joining methods.

Year 11 students Spatial Design brief required them to produce conceptual designs for a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Station located at the Belfast terminal, that would meet the needs of Ōtautahi residents, both for present and future generations. Their product design brief was thankfully on a much smaller scale – a bathroom fixture.

Year 12 students grappled with finding a solution to a genuine problem – each year the amount of camping gear that needs to be transported grows and the time and organisation required to set up camp then pack down at the end of the holiday almost makes one wonder if it is all worth it! While their product design focused on encouraging imaginative play and helping with the development of dexterity in young children.

Year 13 students developed spatial designs focused on a new societal trend – Co-Living with Housemates. As many of these students will be leaving home at the end of this year to attend university or seek work in other centres, researching rents and mortgages and talking to flatters was timely.

The Product Design brief excited the prospective engineers in the class and taught the remainder of the class that sometimes jobs come across your desk that require you to undertake some serious research on topics you may know nothing about before you can even make a start.

DigiTech

As part of our new NCEA curriculum, we introduced a Blender-based 3D modelling unit to our DIG101 course. Having been the focus for staff professional development for the past few years, we were impressed by the students' creativity and problem-solving, and the high-quality models and animations they produced. A non-assessed “student choice” project in Term 3 was very well received by students as they explored various software and ideas, and some even combined their programming and 3D modelling skills to create their own computer games. We look forward to seeing where the students take these skills in DIG201 next year!

Food Technology

Showcasing Food Technology on Open Day

In June, Cashmere High School held its annual Open Day, opening the doors for potential Year 8 students to see what Cashmere has to offer. This enables the Food Technology department to showcase how awesome Food Technology education is here. The room was filled with excitement as parents and Year 8 students engaged with current Year 9 students, who shared their experiences and insights about what they had experienced so far in Food Technology. The year 8 students were impressed with the creative homemade bread products made by the Year 9s, which were on display. We also had fun, interactive displays set up highlighting the different topics covered in Hospitality and Food Technology courses across various year levels.

One of the many stand-out features on display was the ice cream churner making ice cream from scratch, giving insight into the Level 3 course. There was also a range of cupcakes on display, each made with the same base recipe but with a different “egg replacer”, demonstrating the effect ingredients can have on the product; a focus of our Year 10 programme.

The room was filled with photos and videos showcasing some of the many products made in Food Technology, and providing information about what careers are available in Food Technology. The visitors found the range of Kiwiana cookie cutters fascinating. Our students had used these to demonstrate a way of showing an iconic Kiwi design for their Level 2 pie unit.

Open day 2024 was a success and we enjoyed having the opportunity to interact with Year 8 students and their families with the hope of officially welcoming them to Cashmere High School and the Food Technology Department as year 9s in 2025!

Molly Callaghan – Food Technology Prefect

Fashion and Textiles Technology

The Year 11 Textiles class undertook a creative upcycling and sustainability project. Mid-Term 2, they visited Toffs Recycled Clothing Warehouse in Ferrymead to thrift garments within a $20 budget. Before the trip, students researched ethical fashion brands and sketched concepts for their planned purchases. During the visit, they collaborated to economise, sometimes sharing items for their individual projects, reinforcing the unit's focus on minimising waste and promoting sustainability.

Multi-Materials Department

The focus for 2024 has been introducing students to a wider range of materials and prototyping skills. Learners in our subject begin by personalising designs, and progress to entirely self-driven projects, so a kete well filled with this knowledge equips learners to produce more varied and complicated ideas. The use of computer-controlled equipment has also been extended this year, but model making by hand is still used at all year levels to quickly visualise and test ideas.

With further equipment and workshop improvements planned for the near future, we look forwards to the design ideas that students will create.