Taskforce for Jobs rolled out in Te Puke and Maketū

Western Bay Mayor James Denyer meets with the new Mayor's Taskforce For Jobs co-ordinator Davina Edwards. Photo / Supplied

All young people under 25 engaged in appropriate education, training, work or positive activities in their communities is the goal of a new programme rolling out in Te Puke and Maketū.

Western Bay Mayor James Denyer has joined the programme — Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs — adding the district to a nationwide network of mayors working together to get all young people 16-25 working, training or contributing to their communities.

According to a recently released Salvation Army study, the Bay of Plenty has the highest proportion of young people not in employment, education, or training in New Zealand. In June 2022, 18.7 per cent — or 6500 — of 15 to 24-year-olds in the region were not in education, employment or training.

Other councils in the taskforce have created initiatives that have seen over 380 people placed into apprenticeships, enabled 500 people to gain their driver licence, and supported 700 education and training opportunities.

The Western Bay version of the programme will be focused on helping youth in Te Puke and Maketū where support is most needed. According to the 2018 census data, over 400 young people are unemployed or not in the workforce.

It will also complement the existing youth employment programme Katikati Poutama — Pathways for Rangatahi already in action at the western end of the district.

The new taskforce team will be working closely with existing local providers, and partnering with Colab, a group of social sector organisations based in Te Puke.

The partnership will ensure the taskforce builds on their existing good work.

To assist the mayor in making the goal a reality, a new co-ordinator, Davina Edwards, has joined the team.

Davina’s role will be focusing on tailoring the taskforce’s mission to Western Bay communities and connecting communities with opportunities. She will be helping create paths and remove the barriers between young people and education, training, and jobs.

James says: “Our district is so full of opportunities just waiting to be seized, but our young people can be stopped at the first hurdle. Often it’s something we take for granted, like having access to driver licensing and testing, that blocks people from working towards their goals.

“I’ll be working with Davina to understand what we can do to remove those hurdles, and be an advocate for our young community.”

Local businesses also stand to benefit from the programme with access to new recruits, so it’s a positive for the whole community at a time when a lot of people are doing it tough, says James.

For Davina, tailoring the solution to the community and its needs is the key to success.

“I’m new to the Western Bay and I’ve spent the last few weeks making my way around the rohe speaking with our communities and tangata whenua. Our district is rich with cultural diversity and that strong social fabric is something we can tap into to build successful programmes.”

Colab co-ordinator Chris Johnstone says the organisation is excited about the initiative.

“This is a great opportunity to work in partnership with Western Bay of Plenty District Council and the community, to provide good outcomes, training and employment for our young people.”

“The council is a supporter of Colab and all the things it does for the Te Puke community. We look forward to working with them on this project.”

Check out the Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs website for more information.