Education Minister Chris Hipkins: Northland potential to be unleashed

Minister of Education Chris Hipkins. Photo / Supplied

Over the years thousands of Northland people have started workplace apprenticeships or studied at our community polytechnic since it opened in 1978. The plans we unveiled on Thursday will ensure that not only will this continue for future generations of Northlanders, but that vocational training will be stronger, more sustainable and targeted to what locals and the local economy need.

A lot has changed since the first apprenticeships were created more than a century ago. The jobs our children need to train for have changed. Jobs available in 1978, and even 1998, have changed. The way we learn and how our community plays a part has also changed. Northland's skills shortage is real and it's now urgent. We need to make it easier for Northland people to train and fill those gaps.

One thing that hasn't changed is the geographical remoteness that makes Northland unique. Kaitaia is three hours' drive from Whangārei; it's not just down the road. Unifying and sharing all of our educational resources and making the most of technology will potentially make it easier for learners in the Far North to study a wider range of courses.

Importantly, our commitment to regional New Zealand will be passed into law. In coming months I will introduce legislation giving present and future generations a guarantee that successive governments will be responsive to the regions and preserve a strong network of regional campuses.

Workforce Development Councils will put industry in charge and provide skills leadership across sectors. While Regional Leadership Groups will be empowered by local communities to ensure their needs are met. We will ensure our reforms include iwi and Māori as key partners by setting up Te Taumata Aronui, the first Māori-Crown national tertiary education group of its kind.

While regional economies are surging, our vocational training system is stretched. We need thousands of more skilled tradies, arborists and technicians to safeguard public, private and Māori economic investments in Te Tai Tokerau.

We know as a nation that our economic and social potential will be fulfilled when our regions are thriving. The announcement is focused on creating a skilled, local workforce.

The Te Tai Tokerau working population is young, and its economy is diverse and growing. We want New Zealand to thrive, but that cannot happen unless Northland thrives.

The announcement is part of a once-in-a-generation plan that includes Provincial Growth Fund investments across the region, guaranteeing Northland a solid social and economic base.

You will read a lot about these changes in coming days. I want to reassure you that it will not impact your study or work-based training. Please enrol as usual.

With a massive skills shortage ahead, we need to lead and make decisions that will unify the vocational sector while partnering with local communities, employers and iwi.

In the words of the great northern leader Sir James Henare: "Kua tawhiti kē to haerenga mai, kia kore e haere tonu. He nui rawa o mahi, kia kore e mahi tonu." "You have come too far not to go further, you have done too much not to do more.