Progress report: December 2022

In 2020, 15 Regional Skills Leadership Groups across New Zealand were created to identify and support better ways of meeting future skills and workforce needs in our regions and cities.

The Southland Murihiku Regional Skills Leadership Group (RSLG) is the southernmost RSLG, and incorporates:

• Southland District
• Gore District
• Invercargill
• Bluff.

The aim of the Southland Murihiku RSLG is to develop a thriving regional labour market to transform the lives of all people living in Southland Murihiku, both now and in the future. Their work will guide the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) in its investment decisions into vocational training opportunities offered across Southland Murihiku.  

In June 2022, the group released their first Regional Workforce Plan (RWP). 

Southland Murihiku Regional Workforce Plan

The RSLG’s activities are underpinned by 4 foundation aspirations:

• Aspiration 1: System Change – our region is prepared for future labour market needs
• Aspiration 2: Change for People – our region supports people to thrive in the labour market
• Aspiration 3: Cultural Change – our region is committed to equitable outcomes for Māori
• Aspiration 4: Workplace Change – our region is renowned as a great place to live and work

To breathe life into the foundation aspirations and deepen understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in meeting them, the group chose 5 initial focus areas – the priority pou:

• Rakatahi
• Food and fibre
• Manufacturing and engineering
• Health care and social assistance
• Tourism and hospitality

Through these pou, the group identified 20 key actions (listed on the last page of this document) to improve labour market outcomes for Southland Murihiku. 

To tackle the 20 RWP actions and ensure that work was being progressed against each of the priority pou, the RSLG members formed 5 subgroups dedicated to:

• vocational education, training and careers
• strategic connections and engagement
• research
• health, Māori and rakatahi
• business development and workplace support. 

As the co-chairs signalled in the first release of the RWP, the plan is a living document and will be revised to ensure it remains responsive to the changing needs of the region.

This report reflects on the mahi undertaken in the 6 months post-RWP release, and a preview of the mahi the group is working on as they progress to their 1-year milestone.

A few highlights from the group’s mahi in 2022 include:

• launching the inaugural Regional Workforce Plan with an event held at Southern Institute of Technology, attended by the Minister for Regional Economic Development, Hon Carmel Sepuloni
• closing off the work on Action 13: Explore integrating Drivers Licensing into the education system or establishing a pipeline to speed up the process of licensing
• appointing a Youth Member and initiating the process for developing a youth rōpū
• completing the first stage of Action 5: Undertake research and analysis to better understand the opportunities provided for those categorised as ‘underutilised’ in the labour market, and beginning the second stage to consider at-risk groups
• collaborations with a wide variety of partners and stakeholders including Workforce Development Councils, Te Pūkenga/SIT, Beyond 2025 Southland, Just Transitiono Murihiku Regeneration, Ministry for Primary Industries, Great South, Mayoral Forum, Unions, Kānoao Te Whatu Ora and the Southland Business Chamber.

The following pages provide a wider overview of the mahi progressed by each subgroup/the wider RSLG and secretariat, and are categorised by: 

• Doing the mahi – RSLG is progressing mahi against 
• Making connections – RSLG is building strategic working relationships to advance mahi against RWP actions 
• Partner collaboration – RSLG is working alongside partners to advance their mahi, and contribute to RWP actions