Progress report: December 2022

This progress update relates to the 2022 Otago Regional Workforce Plan which was launched 15 July 2022.

Otago Regional Workforce Plan

Labour market intervention

Action 1: Lead a feasibility analysis for a potential regional solution that looks to mitigate skills shortages

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Explore the feasibility of a solution that could leverage seasonality, explore labour sharing options, and potentially address underemployment. This response may lead to the formation of a separate community held entity that mitigates risk for employers and employees, or a platform that links up existing activity. It could also act as a conduit for regional connectivity.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• The RSLG has utilised insights gained from our other actions and workstreams to inform the type of possible interventions required to address workforce needs. 
• The RSLG has built relationships with likely key actors via direct engagement, presentations at RSLG meetings, and secretariat action. We are starting to see some expressions of interest in the idea.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• This work will continue, and we will look to leverage emerging initiatives from sectors and sub-regions that align with our intention here.
• Dictated by increasingly serious skills shortages, growing Ministerial attention and a deepening of RSLG relationships in Queenstown Lakes, this action has scope to significantly evolve over the coming 6 months.

Lessons learned since last update

• Regional connections are everything!
• RSLG has been able to be an effective vehicle between central government and local actors to highlight issues and help coordinate a response.

Coordination (local authority and economic development liaison)

Collaborate with regional economic development agencies/lead information sharing between regional labour market initiatives (action 2 and 6)

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Assist with the development of collaborative recruitment solutions, seasonal workforce attraction and labour market forecasts relating to regional workforce needs.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• RSLG is connected into and attends regular Otago Regional Economic Development (ORED) group meetings.
• RSLG is connected into and has attended the Central Otago Labour Governance Group meetings.
• There is a ‘Learn Otago’ initiative underway in partnership with ORED; this programme will seek to better co-ordinate informal in-work training in the region.
• ORED co-chair is a RSLG member, and the group has received presentations from individual ORED members.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• The RSLG will continue to actively collaborate and coordinate with ORED and Central Otago Labour Governance Group.
• The RSLG will work with Business South, the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce and Ignite Wanaka to facilitate workshops with the local branches of Human Resources Institute of New Zealand (HRNZ) to explore the potential for a more co-ordinated approach to informal in-work training in the region.
• The ‘Learn Otago’ initiative will continue to develop and grow over the next 6 months, through the joint efforts of ORED and the Otago RSLG.

Lessons learned since last update

• ORED and RSLG mahi are aligned, and both entities are proving to be of strong mutual support to each other.

Action 8: Engage with the Otago Mayoral Forum

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Provide workforce input into Territorial Local Authority (TLA) decision making.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• The RSLG attended the March Otago Mayoral Forum meeting.
• The co-chairs and secretariat have met with Mayors and Chief Executives from the Clutha, Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago Districts and the Dunedin City Council.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• The RSLG is scheduled to meet with the Mayor and Chief Executive of the Waitaki District in March 2023.
• The RSLG will look to engage again with the Mayoral Forum later in 2023.

Lessons learned since last update

• The Otago Mayoral Forum are receptive to RSLG mahi. We will continue to build on this relationship.

Action 3: Advocate for Otago, our businesses, and our workers in our engagement with central government policy teams

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Effectively advocate for Otago and highlight specific regional labour market issues in dealing with our Central Government/policy colleagues. This action is core to our RSLG work, our ‘BAU’.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• The RSLG has published and distributed quarterly Local Insights Reports (LIRs). Our 2022 Regional Workforce Plan was written in consultation with over 200 regional labour market actors. The Group also facilitated a productive Minister’s visit with Queenstown employer representatives.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• The RSLG is currently spearheading a paper to highlight the increasing precarity of rural towns who are dominated by large single-employers.

Lessons learned since last update

• Central government is complex and can often be siloed. The RSLG are maximising our contacts to work within these confines and will continue to advocate for the region across the system, where we can.

Māori participation and collaboration 

Action 4: Gain a better understanding of Māori participation across the regional economy

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Having a baseline understanding of the Māori economy in Otago will allow for a more targeted and strategic approach to Māori workforce development in our region.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• The RSLG has undertaken an initial scan of potential sources of data on the Māori labour market in Otago.
• The RSLG Māori Participation & Collaboration rōpū decided to combine actions 4 and 5, which are intertwined and work toward the same outcome.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• The RSLG will continue to engage with actors in Otago’s Māori labour market to fill gaps and gather anecdotal data.

Lessons learned since last update

• Initial findings indicate a lack of publicly-available statistics and data. The RSLG will continue to work with MBIE and our regional colleagues to delve into this issue further. 

Action 5: Enhance collaboration with Māori

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Enhance Māori pathways to employment.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• Otago RSLG co-chairs have represented the group at various hui with Māori throughout the region over the last 6 months, including at Moeraki Marae.
• The RSLG also held a hui at Puketeraki marae, that included a discussion about shared objectives and strengthened partnership. 
• Connections have been made with Aukaha (a mana whenua-owned consultancy) and KUMA (the Southern Māori Business Network). Both of these organisations are represented in the Otago RSLG membership.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• The RSLG has hui at both Moeraki and Ōtākou marae planned for 2023.
• Further connections to actors across the Māori economy in Otago will continue to be made.

Lessons learned since last update

• This is an evolving area. The RSLG is working effectively with our members and co-chairs to navigate this action.

Regional recommendations

Action 7: Support the investigation of public transport solutions throughout Otago

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Enable the more efficient movement of people through the region to better leverage employment opportunities.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• The RSLG has completed an initial scan of public transport offerings in the Otago region.
• RSLG has met with the Otago Regional Council – who oversees provision of public transport in the region – to discuss our findings and next steps.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• The scan will inform further analysis on public transport in relation to the labour market in Otago, and any advocacy the RSLG may undertake for improved regional transport solutions. 

Lessons learned since last update

• Co-ordinated transport across Otago is lacking, which inhibits the ability for people to live and work inter-regionally. Public transport, where provided, can also be sporadic.

Action 16: Equitable digital access

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Enable more equitable digital access in Otago so that our people can better leverage employment opportunities.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• The RSLG has completed an initial scan of digital connectivity offerings in the Otago region.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• The scan will inform further analysis on digital connectivity in relation to the labour market in Otago, and any advocacy the RSLG may undertake for productivity-enhancing technology such as better rural broadband.
• Leveraging the connections of our members, the RSLG will aim to meet with regional broadband providers going forward.

Lessons learned since last update

• Differences in the digital connectivity space appears to be well described in the sharp contrast between rural and urban provision. Lack of coverage in rural areas will inhibit the ability for rural economies to embrace technological change to improve productivity.

Training and pathways

Action 9: Work with careers-guidance system providers

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Support better ways of meeting future skills and workforce needs in our region.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• The RSLG has completed an initial scan of careers-guidance system providers in the Otago region.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• The RSLG will look to build on this sector scan and will work to collaborate with providers to promote opportunities.

Lessons learned since last update

• Provision appears to lack co-ordination with progression through formal education, post-secondary and into work.

Action 10: Collaborate with regional initiatives that address clarity of pathways into, and through, employment

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Highlight good practice in accessing sustainable resourcing nationally, and to ensure adoption across the region.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• The RSLG is advancing this action by partnering with the Central Otago Labour Governance Group, Workforce Central Dunedin and the Central Otago Pathways Group.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• RSLG will continue to engage with these entities and provide support for initiatives and workstreams that emerge.

Lessons learned since last update

• Innovative practice appears to be coming from the margins, from new players and system interrupters.

Action 11: Provide region centric recommendations to vocational education system entities

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• This action is core to our RSLG function, our ‘BAU’. We aspire to have a vocational education system that reflects regional needs and nuances.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• To achieve this outcome, the RSLG must effectively partner with other system entities. Engagement has been undertaken with several Workforce Development Councils (WDC), Te Pūkenga, and the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC).
• We have identified having a technologically able workforce (particularly in the automation / augmentation space), and a foundation education for early school leavers now in manual work, as priorities.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• RSLG will continue to engage with these vocational sector entities. Formal guidance procedures are now in place with TEC, and we look to confirm advisory processes with WDC’s and Te Pūkenga.

Lessons learned since last update

• Entities of the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE) system are developing at an uneven pace, and so formal relationships are taking time to take shape.

Action 12: Collaborate with initiatives that seek to innovate regional education and training provision

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Highlight good practice to access sustainable resourcing across NZ and ensure adoption across the Otago region.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• The RSLG is eager to highlight innovation in education and training provision. Partnership and information sharing channels have been formalised with the Central Otago Pathways Group and Energy Academy.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• The RSLG will continue to engage with and highlight these innovative practices.  We will continue to scan for further initiatives.

Lessons learned since last update

• Innovative practice appears to be coming from the margins, from new players and system interrupters.

Action 13: Engage with the construction and food and fibre Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs)

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Ensure Otago initiatives are highlighted, and region centric issues are considered in programme innovation.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• No progress on this action to date.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• The RSLG will look to engage with these entities in the first half of 2023.

Action 14: Collaborate with education providers to ensure capability upskill in changing technologies is a priority in learning provision

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• We aspire to assist in equipping Otago to have the technologically-enabled workforce that will be increasingly required across all sectors as automation and augmentation processes are adopted.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• Anecdotal evidence has been gathered that supports the contention that this approach is required across vocational education. See Action 11.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• The RSLG will continue to gather further evidence of this requirement and look to incorporate this in our advice to Vocational Sector entities.

Lessons learned since last update

• A key question will be around what transferable technical skills can be identified to provide foundation skills in this area.

Action 15: Collaborate with groups that aim to better equip the Otago workforce for technological change

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Support initiatives that look to facilitate the type of automation and augmentation that will be required to increase productivity.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• The RSLG has engaged with the project leads of Whakatipu Hangarau (Queenstown Technology) Trust and provided data and insights in support of the production of a White Paper into the creation of a tech eco-system in the Queenstown Lakes area.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• RSLG will continue building on existing engagement and will also widen to include other regional initiatives such as the Centre of Digital Excellence (CoDE) in Dunedin.

Lessons learned since last update

• Current actors in this area have ambitious aspirations to provide meaningful change in their sectors, and their communities.

Better Otago workplaces

Action 17:  Collaborate to work toward increasing awareness of the role of the Labour Inspectorate

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Increased awareness of the role of the Labour Inspectorate will lead to safer workplaces.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• The RSLG is establishing a working group to collaboratively analyse this issue from both supply-side and demand-side perspectives.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• The RSLG will look to broaden the scope of Better Otago Workplaces actions to incorporate the employment of underutilised populations. This will see increased diversity across the regional workforce, and contribute to lift productivity.

Action 18: Advocate for secure employment and safer workplaces in our engagement with Central Government policy teams on relevant issues

Anticipated/aspired outcome 

• Increased understanding of on-the-ground experiences in Otago workplaces in policy teams will lead to more safe and secure employment and workplaces.

Progress over the past 6 months 

• The RSLG is establishing a working group to collaboratively analyse this issue from both supply-side and demand-side perspectives.

Looking forward to the next 6 months 

• The RSLG will look to broaden the scope of Better Otago Workplaces actions to incorporate the employment of underutilised populations. This will see increased diversity across the regional workforce, and contribute to lift productivity.