$5.5 million funding boost for Māori trades and training

Social development and employment minister Carmel Sepuloni. Photo / File

Whānau and communities in Tairāwhiti-East Coast, Northland-Tai Tokerau and the Bay of Plenty are set to benefit from a $5.5 million funding boost for Māori trades and training.

One of the organisations included is Minginui Nursery in the Bay of Plenty. Overall the funding aims to help up to 150 Māori train and gain qualifications.

Development and employment minister Carmel Sepuloni said the funding recipients were Maniaia SAFE Forestry School and the ICONIQ Group in Tairāwhiti-East Coast, North Drill Ltd in Northland-Tai Tokerau and Minginui Nursery in the Bay of Plenty.

"The four funding recipients are providing high quality programmes to help their regions' rangatahi get the training and qualifications they need to find long-term jobs in their local communities," she said.

"But these programmes are about more than just learning new skills. They also provide rangatahi with the pastoral care, guidance, qualifications and confidence to productively participate in their local communities, while also helping build a stronger economy.

"Rangatahi will be taught how to safely work in forestry, acquire horticulture nursery skills and get the experience needed to get jobs in the drilling, mining and quarrying industries. Alternatively, they will learn how to build safe, warm, healthy homes, benefitting their whānau and the neighbourhoods they live in."

Sepuloni said today's announcement is focused on regions where government wanted to engage with Māori and rangatahi who had been impacted by Covid-19, or who were not in education, employment or training.

"We want to help Māori get the training and qualifications they need, in order to find long-term jobs.

"Māori Trades and Training sits alongside other Government programmes like Apprenticeship Boost, Mana in Mahi and He Poutama Rangatahi. These programmes underline the Government's commitment to creating greater pathways and opportunities for people to get into sustainable employment, education or training."