Trainee carpenters in Te Tairawhiti are repairing and refurbishing Ngati Porou marae and descendants' houses.
Rangatahi are learning at Eastern Institute of Technology, boosted by scholarships from the iwi.
Seven carpenters have obtained about $5000 worth of funding.
Ngati Porou Runanga chairperson Apirana Mahuika says the tribe is looking to get youngsters into other trades.
He says the iwi will soon launch its Development Trust, which will try to put rangatahi on other apprenticeship courses - perhaps in plumbing and electrical trades.
