Introduction
Tāmaki makaurau, Tāmaki herenga waka, Tāmaki herenga tāngata e.
Tāmaki desired by the multitudes, Tāmaki the gathering place of many waka, Tāmaki the gathering place of many people and cultures.
On this page
The initial Regional Workforce Plan (RWP) of the Tāmaki Makaurau Regional Skills Leadership Group (RSLG) was published in July 2022.
It was published after 2 years of labour market turmoil brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Auckland lockdowns and border closures. It was produced at a time of a tight labour market, chronic and acute skill shortages but also entrenched unemployment, underemployment and poverty wages amongst Māori, Pacific People, Disabled People and others disadvantaged in the labour market.
In our first report we established the direction of work for the RSLG and set targets and goals for dealing with the current and future labour market demands.
This, the first annual update of the RWP, is produced in a different but no less challenging time in Tāmaki Makaurau. Like the rest of the country, workers and businesses alike are having to contend with high inflation and cost of living increases and Tāmaki Makaurau was also impacted by severe weather events earlier in the year; the January flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle.
These events, on top of the ongoing post-covid pandemic period, have seen a continuation of economic and labour market disruptions in our region. We have seen acute jobs and skill shortages in the health, construction and hospitality sectors. But we have also seen hundreds of potentially skilled workers (especially in South and West Auckland) leaving school before gaining the qualifications that they need to undertake further Vocational Education and be our skilled workers of the future.
In our regular Insight reports we have advised central government of these issues and continue to work with agencies at a regional level to try and address them.
While these events have been happening, the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE) of which RSLGs are apart has continued. Our RSLG continues to work together with the other streams of the reforms being Te Pūkenga (bringing together polytechnic and work-based training under one roof) and the Workforce Development Councils (finding out the skill requirements of business and learners on a national basis and developing the courses and qualifications required to meet these needs).
We have also advised and made submissions to the Tertiary Education Commission prior to its funding decisions for 2023 and 2024.
In this update we highlight (through some case studies) some of the positive work that has happened over the last year. This includes the great strides that have been made in the “ground up” Tāmaki 10,000 employment strategy. We also report on the progress that we have made on addressing the actions that we noted in our first report.
We thank our fellow members of the Tāmaki Makaurau RSLG for their work over the last year also the MBIE RSLG Team that has provided us with ongoing secretariat and research support.
Photo left - right: Co-Chair Awerangi Tamihere, Co-Chair Robert Reid