Our journey and aspirations – Ko te hīkoi me ngā tūmanako

Our journey to reach our action points and our aspirational vision for our region’s labour market.

Our journey

We did not arrive at our Action Points overnight. This journey taken to reach this first set of Action Points in our first Regional Workforce Plan (RWP) has three main components:

1. Extensive consultation with stakeholders:

Each step of our journey has involved engagement with stakeholders across all seven of the districts that the Manawatū-Whanganui rohe is comprised of (Ruapehu, Rangitīkei, Whanganui, Manawatū, Palmerston North City, Tararua and Horowhenua). For more information:

Our region’s voice – Ko te reo o tō mātou rohe

2. Focus on two key priorities:

Each iteration of the RWP will identify different areas where direct impact on skills and training investment needs to be made. We have initially chosen to focus on the Kaiāwhina Health workforce and School Transitions.

3. Alignment with existing strategic plans:

We are not here to reinvent the wheel. Te Pae Tawhiti and Accelerate25 have paved the way strategically and we want to align with and build on this.

Te Pae Tawhiti: Manawatū-Whanganui Māori Economic Development Strategy 2016-2040 [PDF 2.8 MB](external link) – Horizons Regional Council

Accelerate 25: the Manawatū-Whanganui Economic Action Plan(external link) – Accelerate25

Our aspirations

Our actions also tie into our aspirations. These aspirations are our vision for our region’s labour market. They will be the foundation for all future iterations of our RWP. We aspire to:

  • Achieve a stronger and more prosperous Manawatū-Whanganui – for our people. Our kaimahi, employers, whānau and mokopuna
  • Create a future-focused workforce that enables the wellbeing of our whānau and communities, the success of our businesses, sustainable economic growth, and success for our future generations
  • Bring our people and leaders together, to create opportunities for a skilled workforce where we are:
    • Prepared for the future of mahi in the region
    • Creating higher skilled jobs in our key sectors
    • Transitioning and reskilling our people successfully into skilled mahi, from school, tertiary study, or other sectors, careers and regions
    • Providing future-focused skills and training through our learning organisations
    • Supporting people to enter and remain within the workforce they want to be in