He kupu whakataki nā tētahi o kā Kaiwhakahaere | Foreword from Our Co-chair
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Kia ora
I write this foreword to Te Kāhui Whakahaere i kā Pūkeka ā-rohe o Murihiku (RSLG) 2023 Update of the Regional Workforce Plan (RWP) as the out-going Co-chair. In June of this year, I will have completed my second term as Co-chair of the Murihiku RSLG. I was one of the original membership and it is now time for someone else to carry the mantle of this inspiring kaupapa.
To my past iwi/Māori Co-chairs, Aimee Kaio and Tracey Wright-Tawha, thank you for your support, insights, humour and willingness to share your tikanga. Ngā mihi nui. True partnership works when the Co-chairs and the wider group are all committed to a common kaupapa. That is what I have witnessed, and has been one of the great joys of having Co-chaired the Murihiku RSLG.
The Murihiku RSLG is one of 15 groups across the motu that bring regional flavour to labour market insights. While Murihiku has seen progress since the RSLG’s inception in 2020, ongoing and increasing economic uncertainty has been a constant reality. However, we have seen strengthened connection, collaboration and alignment between key agencies across the region, and I am grateful for the support the RSLG has received from our valued partners.
Our inaugural 2022 RWP was underpinned by four aspirations for Murihiku’s labour market. It also focused on five pou, and produced a set of prioritised actions. This update presents an opportunity to simplify our action plan, so that our stakeholders can see how our actions align with the aspirations, and the progress we are making against them.
Our mahi couldn’t exist without data – and at times, access to good quality data for the region has been complicated (albeit improving). So, in 2021 we commissioned our own research into the region’s labour demand, and in 2022 we undertook research into underutilisation within our labour market.
Our success as a region will be a reflection of how smoothly vocational skill acquisition occurs and how adaptive and agile our workplaces are. While the RWP is written by the RSLG, it reflects our region’s views and the action that we all need to take. We invite your feedback on our completed and/or planned mahi either via our members, or the MBIE Secretariat.
The labour market challenges and opportunities across Murihiku have never been more significant. We acknowledge that access to, and progression across, our labour market is not equitable, and there are areas of significant deprivation within Murihiku which illustrate the need for systemic change. We have framed that overarching challenge simply as, we leave no-one behind.
If that’s a measure of success for our labour market, we still have a long way to go. But we are determined to get there, and I look forward to seeing the RSLG continue to make progress in realising our aspirations over the coming years.
E tū ki te kei o te waka, kia pakia koe e kā ngaru o te wā
Stand at the stern of the waka and feel the spray of the future, biting at your face.
Kā mihi
Paul Marshall
Co-Chair | Murihiku Regional Skills Leadership Group
Te Kaiwhakahaere i kā Pūkeka ā-rohe o Murihiku