Living together builds in students an awareness of the need to be respectful and considerate of everyone. Groups of four students live and sleep together in a Poutama cabin and this becomes like a second home for them. These are small and simple cabins consisting of two sets of bunks, four large containers for clothing, a small wall heater and one laundry basket. Each cabin is named after cultural landmarks in the Ōpoutere area. 

Students experience community living within a Poutama whānau and this includes students from two Poutama cabins; about eight students. They prepare meals, eat, and work through duties together as a whānau. Students rely on security and care in their new home and safely experience the responsibilities and challenges that come with communal living. Put simply, a Poutama cabin and whānau is a unique environment of personal responsibility, thriving friendship and a space in which students can flourish.