Willie Jackson says Whanganui well-placed for apprenticeships and job growth

Employment Minister Willie Jackson says Whanganui is well placed to benefit from the Government's $30.3m Mana in Mahi (strength in work) programme and the establishment of independent skills leadership groups to manage the changing skills and workforce needs in the regions.

The Labour MP visited Whanganui on Wednesday and said the boosts to training programmes would provide opportunities for experienced Māori tradespeople as well as young Māori.

"There has been a lot of pessimism about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic but we are building and broadening the spectrum of training opportunities and there will be thousands of jobs," he said.

"When people hear trades training, they think of building and infrastructure and there will be plenty of those jobs but it also includes training for professions like hairdressing and IT."

Jackson said he believed it was possible for Labour to win the Whanganui seat from National in September's election.

Steph Lewis, who lost to current National MP Harete Hipango in 2017, will contest the seat again.

"National has held the seat for a long time but the gap wasn't too big at the last election and your current mayor [Hamish McDouall] did quite well as the Labour candidate at the one before," he said.

"Jacinda Ardern is very well-liked as a leader, which is a bonus for our electorate MPs."

Jackson, who is a former radio and television broadcaster, as well as former chairman of New Zealand's 21 iwi Māori Radio stations, said it was a treat to visit Awa FM.

"Iwi radio has a vital role to play in supporting communities and it should be about more than sharing te reo Māori."

Jackson said he studied te reo in Wellington with Awa FM station manager Whetu Fala a few decades ago and it was great to catch up with her in Whanganui.