Progress report: December 2022

The Marlborough RSLG launched Te Mahere Ahumahi ā-Rohe o Te Tauihu o Te Waka-a-Māui | Marlborough Regional Workforce Plan (RWP) on 08 July 2022. Actions for each of the 6 focus areas and 5 focus sectors have been identified through to 2026. A progress update on the Year 1 (2022-23) actions can be found below.

Read the Workforce Plan

This is our first plan, and we will be refreshing the RWP on an annual basis with a full review every 3 years. This will give us the opportunity to review our work and make sure we are heading in the right direction.

Ō mātou whāinga ā-rāngai | Our focus sectors

Tautiakitanga noho kāinga | Aged residential care

Aged Residential Care providers met with the RSLG in July to continue the mahi started in 2021. The shortage of registered nurses continues but providers are now experiencing shortages of all staff types from health care assistants to cooks. Aged Residential Care providers see the work on He wāhi mahi Te Tauihu o te Waka e tino whāia ana | 1. Marlborough as an attractive place to live and work as a priority for collaboration – particularly relating to employment opportunities for spouses/partners of new recruits. Work on health training options is ongoing.

Ahumoana | Aquaculture

Aquaculture New Zealand received funding for their Workforce Action Plan. The funding will assist the aquaculture industry to initiate the first stage of the action plan to develop a skilled, qualified, and diverse workforce. The Marlborough RSLG is collaborating with the Nelson-Tasman RSLG to take a Te Tauihu | Top of the South approach to the aquaculture sector. The Government’s Aquaculture Strategy has a goal of $3 billion in annual sales by 2035 and to achieve this the number of workers is predicted to double. Smart + Connected Aquaculture ran a workshop to address these challenges.

See November local insights report

Ahumairangi | Aviation

An aviation sector group has been formed in Marlborough. Airports, aviation engineering, training providers, airlines and other stakeholders collaborated with Marlborough District Council and the RSLG to form a Smart + Connected Aerospace group. The group is also building links with Ringa Hora (the workforce development council for aviation), and Aviation NZ (the national industry body). 4 shared priorities:

1. Low Emission Leadership
2. Unlocking Marlborough Airport’s potential
3. Leveraging Marlborough’s Unique aviation visitor experiences, and
4. Marlborough as the Aerospace Training Hub.

Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology |Te Pūkenga’s aviation engineering programme is unique to Marlborough and the only course of its kind in New Zealand. Marlborough aspires to be the Aerospace Training Hub in the Te Pūkenga network.

Ngā mahi hanganga | Building and construction

The RSLG worked with Waihanga Ara Rau, the Workforce Development Council for Construction and Infrastructure on the Marlborough Regional Construction Workforce Planning and Development Report. The RSLG has also engaged on the large construction projects in Marlborough: Te Tātoru o Wairau | Blenheim Schools Rebuild, Summerset Retirement Village and Waitohi Picton Ferry Terminal Redevelopment. (see also Ngā tūhononga i waenganui i ngā kura me te ao ahumahi | 4. Connections between schools and industry).

Te rāngai wāina | Wine

The wine industry has made rapid progress on regional workforce planning in 2022. The industry led steering group has a framework to plan the long-term needs of the Marlborough wine sector workforce. The RSLG is supporting the development of the plan.

November Local Insights Report

Ngā aronga matua | Key focus areas

He wāhi mahi Te Tauihu o te Waka e tino whāia ana | 1. Marlborough as an attractive place to live and work.

Research is underway with recent arrivals and local employers to understand what attracts people to Marlborough. An RSLG sub-group is working with HR professionals, Destination Marlborough and Council to encourage collaboration between employers. The Live & Work section of Marlborough’s official website is being updated to attract more workers.

In Year 1 of the RWP the RSLG wanted to identify examples of ‘best practice’ from other programmes and regions. This helps to avoid duplication and provides an evidence base about what works before moving to solutions. The Raukawa|Cook Strait RSLG team that works with the Marlborough, Nelson Tasman, West Coast and Wellington RSLGs have produced a report on Careers Guidance and Pathways. This report will help inform multiple focus areas in our RWP:

• Te whai mahi me ngā huarahi ako | 2. Career and learning pathways
• Ngā tirohanga ki te ao ahumahi, whai mahi hoki|3. Perceptions of industries and careers
• Ngā tūhononga i waenganui i ngā kura me te ao ahumahi| 4. Connections between schools and industry
• E mārama ana te katoa ki ngā āheningaahumahi, whakangūngūhoki | 5. Everyone in the region is aware of career and training opportunities.

The RSLG will communicate the insights from the report in 2023 (refer to Action 4.1 in the RWP).

Te whai mahi me ngā huarahi ako| 2. Career and learning pathways

An example of an industry led initiative that relates to this focus area is the Marine Farming Association’s new Careers Portal. It provides opportunities to investigate careers, training, jobs and current industry vacancies in aquaculture. The Portal is aimed at youth and school leavers investigating their careers choices, and helps introduce individuals to areas they may not have otherwise considered.

Ngā tūhononga i waenganui i ngā kura me te ao ahumahi | 4. Connections between schools and industry

A new construction academy is being developed at Queen Charlotte College, in partnership with Kāinga Ora. The academy, scheduled to be up and running in 2023, will enable local students to gain new skills and kick start careers in the construction industry. A key partner of the project is the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce through their Ministry of Social Development-funded education-to-employment broker, Chris Shaw. See also Ngā mahi hanganga | Building and construction focus sector.

The Smart + Connected Aerospace group is also making plans to showcase careers in the industry and engage local school students at events in Marlborough in 2023.

See November local insights report

Ngā putanga toharite ki a ngāi Māori mā roto i te mātauranga me mahi | 6. Enabling equitable outcomes for Māori through education and work

An RSLG sub-group to advocate for local data collection and for Māori/iwi data for Te Tauihu| Top of the South has developed a plan and are working towards implementation. Next steps include determining what data to prioritise and developing a data access engagement plan, including for Census 2023. See also Ahumoana | Aquaculture, which relates to Action 6.1 in the RWP.

Milestones and highlights

• Aquaculture New Zealand received funding for their Workforce Action Plan. The funding will assist the aquaculture industry to initiate the first stage of the action plan to develop a skilled, qualified, and diverse workforce.
• Aviation sector stakeholders collaborated with Marlborough District Council and the RSLG to form a Smart + Connected Aerospace group. Marlborough aspires to be the Aerospace Training Hub in the Te Pūkenga network.
• The Marlborough Wine industry has made rapid progress on regional workforce planning in 2022.
• A new construction academy is being developed at Queen Charlotte College, in partnership with Kāinga Ora and the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce through their Ministry of Social Development-funded education-to-employment broker, Chris Shaw.
• A report on Careers Guidance and Pathways produced by the Raukawa|Cook Strait RSLG team will help inform multiple focus areas. The RSLG will communicate insights from the report in 2023.
• The RSLG advocated to Te Pūkenga for Marlborough to be part of a whole of Te Waipounamu/South Island regional entity.

Future actions and related activities

• The RSLG has been exploring the role of immigration as part of Marlborough’s future workforce. The Productivity Commission met with the RSLG and shared insights from their immigration inquiry. Their advice is to look at immigration as part of an overall Marlborough population strategy. This aligns with RWP Action 1.2 Collect data from industry on how many people are required and the necessary skills and attributes. Year 2 (2023–24).
• An Agritech Ecosystem Hui was held in Marlborough in September. Marlborough District Council has a goal for Marlborough to be a recognised leader in Agritech, especially in wine, viticulture, and aquaculture. The Marlborough Economic Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2032, RWP and Te Tauihu Intergenerational Strategy all see Agritech as important to innovation and increasing productivity in the region.
• The Prime Minister opened Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa | The New Zealand Wine Centre in Blenheim on 29 September. The new facility brings together industry, science and students at the new Marlborough Research Centre facility on the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology | Te Pūkenga Blenheim campus. A new Experimental Future Vineyard will help winegrowers protect the environment and mitigate the impacts of climate change.