Ngā tūmahi | Actions

A man in wet weather gear and a life jacket hauls in fishing nets.

© NZ King Salmon

The RSLG’s resources to implement our RWP is the 12 members of the RSLG (up to 12 hours per month), as well as about 1.5 FTEs from MBIE. We do not have a specific budget for implementation. As such, our actions reflect the reality of our resourcing. We do not want to over promise and under deliver. The realisation of this RWP will take the collaboration and execution by our wider community and industry.

Focus areas identified through consultation

Key audiences for these messages are parents their children, career changers, and those making lifestyle choices about where they want to live and what they want to do in a post-COVID world. There are significant synergies across three of our themes and associated actions; Career and learning pathways, connections between schools and industry/education providers, and everyone in the region is aware of career and training opportunities.

1. Marlborough as an attractive place to live and work

Why: Marlborough is not always perceived as an attractive place to live and work.

What we will do: Develop a collective approach to attracting people to the region. Starting with understanding what attracts people to Marlborough, who are the people employers need to attract and best practice examples from other regions.

  • Action 1.1 Undertake research with people who have made decisions about moving to, or staying in Marlborough in the last 1-5 years, to understand how they perceived Marlborough, and what influenced their decisions, in order to identify expectations and gaps. Year 1 (2022-23)
  • Action 1.2 Collect data from industry on how many people are required and the necessary skills and attributes. Year 2 (2023 -24)
  • Action 1.3 Identify who Marlborough can effectively target based on preferences and demographics to support more focused advertising. Year 3 (2024-25)
  • Action 1.4 Investigate what other regions have done to successfully attract people to their region. Year 4 (2025-26)
  • Action 1.5 Encourage collaboration between employers, to create a system where employers can collectively advertise, attract candidates, and share applications. Year 5 (2026-27)

2. Career and learning pathways

Why: Career and learning pathways are not always clear for people looking to enter an industry or even for people currently within the industry.

What we will do: Support training providers and industries to identify and communicate the career and learning pathways available in Marlborough.

  • Action 2.1 Identify best practice examples for sharing career and learning pathways including the potential for the creation of a centralised careers advisory service in Marlborough. Year 1 (2022-23)
  • Action 2.2 Identify one industry to collaborate with who is ready, willing and able to trial actions to identify and communicate the career and learning pathways available in Marlborough. Year 2 (2023 -24).
  • Action 2.3 Share examples of best practice (see 2.2), the results from the trials (see 3.3) and encourage Marlborough industries to take actions to identify and communicate the career and learning pathways available in Marlborough. Year 3 (2024-25).
  • Action 3.4 Develop graduate profiles with NMIT and industry so that learners, employers and educators know what sorts of skills employers are looking for. Year 4 (2025-26).

3. Perceptions of industries and careers

Why: People have poor perceptions about our local industries including low pay, poor working conditions, limited career opportunities and environmental impacts.

What we will do: Support industries to take actions to improve perceptions of their industry and career opportunities.

  • Action 3.1 Undertake research into best practice examples of industries that have taken actions to improve perceptions of their industry and career opportunities. Year 1 (2022-23)
  • Action 3.2 Identify one industry to collaborate with who is ready, willing and able to trial actions to improving perceptions of their industry and career opportunities. Year 2 (2023-24
  • Action 3.3 Share examples of best practice (see 3.1) and, the results from the trials (see 3.2) and encourage Marlborough industries to take actions to improve perceptions of their industry and career opportunities. Year 3 (2024-25)

4. Connections between schools and industry/education providers

Why: There are poor connections between schools and industry. This contributes to our young people not knowing what the career opportunities are in Marlborough and it limits the pathways from school to employment

What we will do: Support schools and industry to work together on opportunities to inform our young people about career opportunities in Marlborough and facilitate the pathway from school to employment.

  • Action 4.1 Communicate analysis and insights from available data on workforce and skills issues to help our local schools, industry and central government understand the regional priorities through Local Insights Reports, an updated Marlborough environmental scan and stakeholder engagement. Year 1. (2022-23).
  • Action 4.2 Research best practice examples of connections between schools and industries that inform young people about career opportunities and facilitate the pathway from school to employment. Year 1. (2022-23).
  • Action 4.3 Support the Education to Employment broker, schools and industry to establish industry relevant academies in Marlborough secondary schools. Year 1 (2022-23).
  • Action 4.4 Broker introductions between schools and industry to promote opportunities for collaboration.  RSLG members may broker introductions based on contacts, support others who are best placed to do this such as the Education to Employment broker, and communicate opportunities such as careers events, programmes that link school students with industry (Gateway, Trades Academy) etc. through our communications to stakeholders. Year 2. (2023 -24)
  • Action 4.5 Lead work with the post-secondary education and training providers in Marlborough to identify solutions to ensure our young people are informed about what they offer. Year 2 (2023 -24).
  • Action 4.6 Sharing the examples of best practice (see 4.2), encourage schools, careers advisors, industry and community organisations to develop relevant and timely careers advice and support for rangatahi and whanau Year 3 (2024-25).
  • Action 4.7 Investigate how to overcome some of the barriers to employment raised by community groups such as youth resilience and anxiety. Year 4 (2025-26)

5. Everyone in the region is aware of career and training opportunities

Why: A large number of people change careers, enter or re-enter the workforce every year.  People need to be aware of what opportunities there are in Marlborough both in terms of training and jobs.

What we will do: Support employers and training providers to communicate to people changing careers, entering or re-entering the workforce so that they are aware of what opportunities there are in Marlborough in terms of jobs, training and earn-while-you-learn options that will become increasingly important as our industries undergo technological change.

  • Action 5.1 Research best practice examples of industries that have taken actions to communicate career and training opportunities. Year 1 (2022-23).
  • Action 5.2 Advocate for local data collection, presentation and insights that are relevant to Marlborough. Year 1 (2022-23).
  • Action 5.3 Identify one industry to collaborate with who is ready, willing and able to trial actions to communicate career and training opportunities. Year 2 (2023-24.
  • Action 5.4 Share examples of best practice (see 5.1), the results from the trials (see 5.2) and encourage Marlborough industries to take actions to communicate career and training opportunities. Year 3 (2024-25).

6. Enabling equitable outcomes for Māori through education and work

Why: Outcomes for Māori in our region are not what they should be.  Māori are overrepresented in our unemployment and underutilisation statistics and have poorer education and health outcomes.  We have been challenged to think beyond equity and to be part of the effort to enable Māori people. There is limited Māori/iwi data to form an evidence base to inform planning and to identify gaps.

On a positive note there are a growing number of iwi/Māori businesses, a young and growing Māori population who will make up an increasingly significant part of the working age population in the future and significant capital with the eight iwi of Te Tauihu having settled and holding significant assets across the region.

What we will do: Work towards the aspirations of the Te Tauihu Intergenerational Strategy – Tūpuna Pono: To Be Good Ancestors. Work in partnership with iwi/Māori to support their aspirations and objectives.

  • Action 6.1 Connect to the Te Tauihu Intergenerational Strategy and the ngā mahi matua (our actions) for Pūtea (Economy) -Oceans Economy Strategy by collaborating with the Nelson-Tasman RSLG on Aquaculture. Year 1 (2022-23).
  • Action 6.2 Advocate to central and local government for Māori/iwi data for Te Tauihu to ensure that there is an evidence base for interventions to inform planning and to identify gaps in service provision e.g. consistent data sets across agencies. Year 1 (2022-23).
  • Action 6.3 Advocate for Mā Māori, Mō Māori, ki a Māori solutions to workforce and skills issues.  Year 1 (2022-23).
  • Action 6.4 Work in partnership with iwi/Māori to support their aspirations and objectives for solutions to workforce and skills challenges. Year 2 (2023-24).

For our focus sectors

Support each sector to develop a workforce plan and support the implementation of this plan

  • Aquaculture - Support Aquaculture NZ to implement their draft workforce plan across Te Tauihu in collaboration with the Nelson-Tasman RSLG and Muka Tangata.
  • Aviation – Support formation of a group to discuss the development of an aviation workforce plan.
  • Aged Residential Care – support implementation of the Marlborough workforce plan developed in 2021 in collaboration with Toitū te Waiora.
    Acknowledge the importance of Health to Marlborough in general, and advice to Tertiary Education Commission on training.
  • Building and Construction – Support implementation of Marlborough workforce plan in collaboration with Waihanga Ara Rau.
  • Wine - Support Wine Marlborough Ltd to develop a workforce plan for the Marlborough wine industry in collaboration with Muka Tangata.

Advice to Tertiary Education Commission and training providers

  • Support the establishment and delivery of Bachelor of Nursing course in Blenheim.
  • Support establishment and delivery of Competency assessment programme (CAP) in Blenheim for internationally qualified nurses or New Zealand registered nurses who have been out of practice for 5+ years.
  • Support the establishment and delivery of New Zealand Certificate in Study and Career Preparation Hauora Pathway for Health in Blenheim to prepare candidates for applying for the Bachelor of Nursing or other degree or diploma related to Health.
  • Improve access to a wide range of health workforce related courses and training in Marlborough, through local delivery, distance learning (e.g. online) and/or block courses delivered in Marlborough.
  • Support the establishment and delivery of Te Tiriti o Te Tauihu training for organisations that need to interact with iwi e.g. RMA consultation.
  • Te Tiriti o Te Tauihu training for organisations that need to interact with iwi e.g. RMA consultation.
  • Support the development of an aquaculture apprenticeship.
  • Support the online delivery of an aquaculture degree in Marlborough.
  • Support the delivery of aviation engineering.
  • Support NMIT delivery of viticulture and wine related courses.
  • Support sufficient and suitable professional development for Managers, e.g. leadership capabilities and competencies across middle managers tailored to the specific needs of local industries.
  • Support sufficient and suitable employability skills and work readiness, for all groups but especially for Rangatahi/Youth.
  • Support sufficient and suitable digital skills training.
  • Support sufficient and suitable careers advice provision.

Advice to central government and funding organisations

  • Fund Mā Māori Mō Māori solutions. Just one successful example is the Te Kotahi Work Brokers, but there are many other opportunities.
  • Fund support for connections between schools and industry. Successful examples include the Education to Employment brokers, and industry relevant academies, but there are many other opportunities.
  • Support social procurement initiatives including support for building Māori capability and capacity through Mā Māori Mō Māori solutions.
  • Provide Marlborough regional data, not combined with other regions (e.g. West Coast, Tasman, Nelson or the deplorable Other South Island category).
  • Provide Māori/iwi data for Te Tauihu to ensure that there is an evidence base with consistent data sets across agencies.