Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Te Puni Kōkiri initiative with employers commended

Te Puni Kōkiri initiative with employers commended for helping Māori get jobs


State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie today commended the Te Puni Kōkiri cadetships initiative for helping hundreds of Māori get work experience and jobs.

The initiative is a collaborative project where Te Puni Kōkiri is working with some of the biggest private employers in New Zealand including Transfield, Fletcher Building, Fulton Hogan, Downer, Vodafone, Genesis Energy, and the Bank of New Zealand.

“This is another fine example of delivering better public services – where you have a Public Service department working with the private sector to achieve results that matter to New Zealanders,” Mr Rennie said.

“This collaborative and innovative approach to help Māori find meaningful and sustainable employment is working very successfully. We need to see this sort of approach adapted more and more in the wider State services,” the Commissioner added.

The cadetships initiative provides Māori who are new to the workforce or with low qualifications the opportunity to gain work experience, obtain higher-level qualifications and build industry networks. It has employed 547 cadets since the initiative started in 2009/10.


Engaging employers

“The success of this programme was achieved by engaging employers in growth industries,” said Patsie Karauria, Social Policy Director at Te Puni Kōkiri.
“We partner with employers to recruit, train, mentor and provide at least six months paid employment to Māori cadets. Ninety five percent (95%) of cadets have remained employed in their industries well past the initial six month programme, which is really noteworthy,” Ms Karauria said.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Cadets, parents satisfied

Angela McNeil, one of the participating Downer cadets said, “I have recently had the pleasure of participating in the Infratrain NZ Wahine Toa leadership programme which was an elevating experience and was time well spent both in a personal and professional capacity.”

Parents have also expressed satisfaction with the initiative. One mother shared, “I have seen my son blossom with new experiences. After working for a few months, he was offered an apprenticeship. When his twin brother asked if he should accept a diesel mechanic apprenticeship or work on the fishing boats, my son said ‘always think of your future – an apprenticeship will set you up with a career and you can always buy a boat later and fish all you want.’”

Employer’s investment
“In the communities that we work within, it is important to have a good reflection of Māori in management roles. We are dealing daily with local iwi, and we lead and manage large workforces of Māori staff. These cadetships allow us to invest in good staff who we hope will become future leaders in our business,” a representative from Fulton Hogan said.
ENDS.

© Scoop Media

 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.