He Whakaaro ki te Ara i Takahia – 2022 He Kōrero Hōu mō Te Rautaki Huka Mahi ā Rohe | Reflections on Our Progress – 2022 Regional Workforce Plan Update
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The following summary presents the progress made since publishing the first Regional Workforce Plan (RWP) in 2022, and how this progress is aligned with our foundation aspirations.
Murihiku has strong collaboration across its leadership and community ensuring all labour market planning and investment leads to high quality, equitable impacts for the region.
- Established strong and productive connections with Workforce Development Councils, Industry Transformation Plans, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) and Te Pūkenga.
- Worked with Te Pūkenga Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) to understand current vocational education provision and programme delivery (and gaps in provision). The RSLG then developed advice to inform TEC on new or preferred ways of delivering training across Murihiku.
- Provided regular Ministerial updates, and informed our stakeholders and partners through quarterly Local Insights Reports and Co-chair briefings.
- Worked in partnership with Murihiku Just Transition workstreams, particularly in relation to worker transitions, business transitions and long-term planning. The RSLG will continue working alongside Just Transition to support development and implementation of key projects as they emerge, particularly through Beyond 2025 Southland.
- Partnered with Beyond 2025 Southland regional long-term plan to collaboratively deliver the Skilled Workforce Development workstream, with a Terms of Reference established to guide this process.
- Participated in a Business Clustering Workshop hosted by the Southland Business Chamber to explore relevance to local businesses. Clustering has also been proposed as a potential solution within our underutilisation study. We will also connect into Just Transition clustering proposal as opportunities are confirmed.
- Appointed a Youth Member, and confirmed the need to establish a youth rōpū to support the youth member and incorporate an increased youth voice to inform our workforce planning.
Murihiku has the skills, flexibility, and resilience to meet current and future labour market demands.
- Connected stakeholders through hui e.g., Te Pūkenga SIT is now working with the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter Tiwai Point (NZAS) to map in-house training against NZ qualifications.
- Worked to identify and provide solutions to work-based learning challenges and opportunities associated with the Te Pūkenga model, particularly in relation to capacity and capability within local businesses.
- Developed working relationships with other relevant RSLGs, Aquaculture NZ, Te Pūkenga SIT, Just Transition, Kānoa and Sector Workforce Engagement Programme (SWEP) to explore funding and workforce needs for Aquaculture as an emerging sector.
- Developed and launched a co-branded (RSLG/Beyond 2025 Southland/Southland Business Chamber) Southland Murihiku Employer Workforce Survey focused on challenges faced in attracting and retaining staff.
- Developed and launched a co-branded (E Tū/RSLG/Beyond 2025/Southland Business Chamber/Just Transition) Southland Murihiku Decent Work Survey (for employees) focused on jobs and working conditions, to understand what decent work looks like for people across the region.
- Completed a deep dive report into youth at risk of limited employment (YARLE) and young people not engaged in education, employment or training (NEET) profiles in the region, and a separate research report on underutilisation and underemployment within Murihiku’s labour market.
Te Ao Māori world view is embedded within everything we do, guiding our thinking to promote trust, understanding, empathy and compassion.
- Sourced Māori business data to understand the profile of Māori-led tourism businesses in Murihiku, and contributions to the region’s economy across the board.This data will inform RWP actions to better support Māori business within the region.
- Collaborated with representatives of Te Whatu Ora to understand and support equitable recruitment practices for Māori.
- Continued collaboration with Murihiku Regeneration on the development of the Secondary Transitions Action Planning Pathway project.
- Worked to align RWP actions with He Kai Kei Aku Ringa (Crown-Māori Economic Development Strategy).
All employers in the region are considered great places to work. Murihiku is an employee’s region of choice.
- Identified a need to showcase models of ‘good business practice’, including work-based learning, employment models focused on improving working conditions, social procurement, recognition of learning differences, and living wage.
- Connected with employers across the region showcasing examples of good and innovative practice in rakatahi employment models.
- Supported initiatives to promote Murihiku businesses as employers of choice for rakatahi, including Southland Youth Futures and SOREC (Southland and Otago Regional Engineering Collective).
- Explored potential for a social procurement business award to be developed in partnership with Southland Business Chamber, based on insights gathered from a social procurement workshop hosted by E tū.
- Hosted Learning Difference Aotearoa at our monthly hui, to understand challenges and opportunities associated with learner differences, as both employers and employees.
- Actively participated in the Beyond 2025 Southland Retention and Attraction workstream.
The RSLG will continue to assess ongoing information provision on sector and occupational workforce forecasts, and education and migration pipelines. This is reflected in our advice to the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC).
Alongside the work that the RSLG has progressed, we have also completed two of our 2022 RWP actions, including:
- Undertake research and analysis to better understand the opportunities provided for those categorised as ‘underutilised’ in the labour market (Action 5).
- Explore integrating Drivers Licensing into the education system or establishing a pipeline to speed up the process of licensing (Action 13).
For a comprehensive overview of our progress, visit: