Share of $50m injection for youth employment strategy welcome news for Hawke’s Bay

Friday 14 July 2017

Hawke’s Bay is set to directly benefit from a $50 million cash injection announced by the Government on Wednesday to help at-risk young people into employment or training.

The region shares a slice of the investment along with three other regions including Northland, the Eastern Bay of Plenty and East Coast over a four year period. Each region has been targeted by the Government as having a higher proportion of young people at risk of long-term unemployment.

The investment into Hawke’s Bay supports the already extensive action plan being delivered under ‘Matariki’ - the Regional Economic Development Strategy (REDS).

Wayne Jack, Napier City Council Chief Executive and Co-Chair of the REDS Governance Group is excited about the prospect and about what the additional investment means for the youth in the region. It will amplify exisiting initiatives and create new programmes to find jobs for young people, he says.

“Project 1000 is a great example of a strategy already underway to encourage growth in employment in the horticulture and viticulture industries. The additional funding will allow us to take initiatives like this to another level,” says Mr Jack.

Equally excited about the additional investment is Shayne Walker, Co-Chair of the REDS Governance Group and and General Manager of Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust.

“Part of our strategy going forward will be to have some open conversations with employers and work side by side with them to create an appealing proposition to motivate young people into work,” says Mr Walker.

“The best way we can make a difference is by providing support, training and education to young people and then in turn provide them with direct access to employment where it is available.”

Matariki is a joint economic development strategy from Iwi, all five Hawke’s Bay councils and the private sector delivered via a project group – the overaching goal of which is for the region to be a leading exporter of premium primary produce and a hub for business growth.

Dr Alister King, Matariki Programme Manager believes that Matariki has helped to strengthen stakeholder relationships to gain a much better understanding of the needs of employers and young people.

“The knowledge and relationships we’ve already developed are going to stand us in incredible stead as we look at developing an action plan for making the best possible use of the additional funding.”

Although Dr King says he doesn’t have all the details ironed out in terms of what the plan will look like, one thing Hawke’s Bay residents can be certain about is that the additional investment will go a long way to helping our young people find work, he says.

#hawkesbayreds
#thrivinghawkesbay
#project1000

For media inquiries contact:

Dr Alister King
Matariki Programme Manager
Alister.king@hbrc.govt.nz
027 481 1252

17 July 2017

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