A Project Fetu site visit. The programme aims to help Pacific and rural workers through hybrid, community-based learning.
An industry-first government training initiative launching in Otago aims to help Pacific and rural workers whose employment may be at risk, by breaking down geographical and cultural-access barriers to formal learning and opening up new career pathways.
The initiative, called Project Fetu, comes as primary industry manufacturers in regional areas downsize, creating uncertainty in rural towns where one large employer often dominates the local economy.
If it is successful, industry leaders say the pilot could become a blueprint for delivering training in rural areas without local tertiary infrastructure, tackling inequities and helping to close critical technology skill gaps in manufacturing nationwide.
This would not only drive local, regional and national productivity and economic gains but also secure a sustainable workforce pipeline the manufacturing sector urgently needs.
Project Fetu is a partnership between the Oamaru Pacific Island Trust and Hanga-Aro-Rau Workforce Development Council for the manufacturing, engineering and logistics sectors.
It will support Pacific workers in rural Otago to complete a six-week, NZQA-recognised Digital Skills for Manufacturing micro-credential, delivered at the trust’s learning hub from mid-September.
The training is designed to be flexible and community-based.
Educators will be brought in from Auckland to deliver the programme in Oamaru, and wrap-around support will be provided by trusted local networks.
Government data shows Pacific peoples make up around 12% of those on the Jobseeker Support benefit, despite being just 9% of the population.
Pacific youth not in employment, education or training (Neet) rates rose from 15.9% in 2023 to 19.9% in 2024, nearly double the national rate of 11.3%.
The data shows Pacific peoples are one of the youngest and fastest-growing populations in New Zealand, with over half under the age of 30.
However, educational attainment remains a challenge: only 65% of Pacific students achieve NCEA Level 2, compared to 73% nationally, and just 18% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to a national rate of 37%.
Unemployment and underutilisation rates for Pacific peoples sit at 10% and 18% respectively – significantly higher than the national averages of 5% and 12%.
Mata’aga Hana Fanene-Taiti, chief executive of Oamaru Pacific Island Trust and Waitaki Deputy Mayor, said many Pacific workers arrived in New Zealand with years of work experience but no formal qualifications.
She said the name Fetu – meaning “star” in Gagana Samoa – honoured Pacific navigators who used the night sky to guide their journeys, symbolising a new path for workers seeking skills and recognition.
“Traditional training pathways are often inaccessible due to cost, distance or time,” Fanene-Taiti said.
“Project Fetu is about creating hybrid, community-based ways of learning that meet people where they are, not just for Pacific people but for those in rural areas too.”
“The initiative allows us to provide alternative hybrid ways of upskilling members in our community, especially from a rural perspective. We don’t have tertiary providers here, so this highlights the demand and the need from the regions, but also a different way of teaching and learning that could benefit others too.”
Fanene-Taiti said she thought Pacific people had a different way of learning.
“We’re quite eclectic learners. We listen and we learn by feeling, by using all of our senses, not necessarily in a traditional classroom setting.”
She said the pilot responded to urgent local needs, with meat processors downsizing across the South Island and Pacific workers disproportionately affected.
“It’s unstable and pretty volatile at the moment, which highlights the urgent need we have for diversification.
“We want to provide other pathway opportunities for our Pacific community and others who are working in the primary sector to consider alternative industries.”
She said that for some, the micro-credential could lead to roles in construction or manufacturing.
“For others, it’s a chance to step up into supervisory or managerial positions, roles Pacific workers have historically struggled to access.”
Fanene-Taiti said the programme was deliberately designed with families in mind, with learners’ children and parents invited to the graduation in November.
“Gold standard for us is seeing all 10 learners walk across the stage to receive a certificate with their families watching.”
She said some of them have never received a qualification before.
“When their kids see that success, it becomes normalised.
“They think, ‘If Dad can do it, I can too.’ That’s the intergenerational impact we want.”
Phil Alexander-Crawford, chief executive of Hanga-Aro-Rau, said the pilot was co-designed with learners and adjusted in real time to meet their needs.
“The Pacific workforce is growing and younger, and ensuring a sustainable pipeline is critical – especially in regions where a single business closure can have wide-reaching impacts,” he said.
“Delivering training in culturally appropriate ways will ensure we get the best out of learners, enabling them to immediately contribute to the workforce.”
Alexander-Crawford said the pilot also aimed to raise awareness of the manufacturing sector and the variety of careers it offered.
“We see Project Fetu as a proof of concept for the rest of New Zealand,” he said.
“If it succeeds in Waitaki, it will show that community-led, culturally responsive workforce development can be scaled to other regions.
“That is how we begin to close the gaps for Pacific peoples while strengthening industry capability across the country.”
Fanene-Taiti hoped the pilot would inspire similar models across Aotearoa.
“We have to create innovative ways of bringing education to the regions, ways that are relevant, successful and impactful,” she said.
“We would love to see this approach of collaboration scaled across the country.
“This is about social return as much as financial return.
“It’s about building confidence, creating role models, and strengthening our communities so the next generation can thrive.”