Summary of actions: Progress overview

• Engaged in climate change wānanga with Te Rūnanga o Ngāti RSLG has also been engaging with other regional Iwi but Whakaue ki Maketu at the end of 2021. Ngāti Whakaue ki Maketu has developed a comprehensive and impressive climate adaptation plan. The aim of this engagement was to begin conversation with an Iwi partner who is actively engaged in climate change discussions to create a closer link to workforce impacts. Currently, there is little to no consideration of the workforce in climate change plans/ strategies or discussions in the region.

Climate change adaption plan [PDF, 4.1MB](external link) — Ngāti Whakaue ki Maketu

• The RSLG provided the workforce component during wānanga held over a 3-month period to foster awareness in the community on the workforce implications of climate change. The Group is looking to encourage such partnerships in other sub-regions

• RSLG has also been engaging with other regional Iwi but beginning to widen the scope to industry and local council. With Council the aim is to drive forward workforce planning through council long term plans. This discussion was started at the Bay of Connections Leadership Group hui highlighting key RWP climate change actions for the group and will facilitate meaningful planning between communities and current/future BOP climate change adaptation leaders. 

• Engaged with Work for Life centre and the Rotorua Youth Centre to get perspective on their approach – surfaced their insights in the RWP.
• Partnership leading to bums on seats: Co-ordinated with Kānoa on proposals that supported Māori employers. The Group made recommendations around how to support worker resilience and provided insights to Kanoa around workers support and pastoral care for two proposals over the previous 12 months [28].

• The Group has been engaged in widening the scope of agencies who are working in the field of workforce resilience. Right now, the focus on breaking new ground has been in Rotorua at the Rotorua Youth Centre. The centre is very interested in exploring how to improve and support rangatahi workforce resilience by getting our young people into “good jobs”.

• Complete research that will support and inform regional workforce planning for seasonal sectors. Findings will evidence the case for labour sharing and address barriers that obstruct the seasonal workforce in terms of transitioning between roles and gaining new skills.

• A business case has been drafted in collaboration with MPI and Te Uru Rakau seeking funding towards a research project on seasonality to garner opportunities to help close labour market gaps by building resilient workforce pipelines.
• The RSLG developed the business case in conjunction with regional sectors: Horticulture, Aquaculture and Forestry and government departments. Part of the activity was around collating current research on seasonality in the region.

• Provided April advice to the Tertiary Educaiton Commission (TEC) advocating for a micro- credential/training that harnesses gamification to attract rangatahi to technology using something they are already interested in.
• Digital infrastructure: Address the lack of adequate Eastern Bay of Plenty digital infrastructure in collaboration with regional stakeholders. This will remove obstacles to participation in the education system and obstructs learning in affected areas.

• Partnering with WDC Toimai to engage Rotorua based Digital Natives to look at the efficacy of that training provider model and capturing and articulating the model towards recommendations for TEC.
• Produced a phased business case around digital infrastructure for the Eastern Bay of Plenty and initiated collaboration with the EBOP Workforce Action Network to look at ways to fund the proposal. If funding is received, this will remove obstacles to participation in the labour market and education system and obstructs learning in affected areas.

• A complete stocktake map of transition programmes that pathway people into training or employment.
• Support wider provision and uptake of licensing programmes.

• The Group has convened a range of TEOs over the past 12 months to discuss transition programmes and the process of building a stocktake is underway, see Appendix C in:

TEC Advice - Web version

TEC Advice - [PDF, 1,721KB](external link)

• The process of supporting wider provision and uptake of licensing programmes is a slow one. The Group is currently interfacing with a wide range of stakeholders operating in this space. To date “Driving for Change” has been one of the stakeholders that is supporting this mahi.