70 jobs in Winz project

A new central processing unit being constructed by the Ministry of Social Development in Whangarei is bringing 70 jobs to Northland, and will free up Work and Income counter staff across the country.

The ministry is recruiting central processing officers for the new Winz unit on James St, set to open in January on the ground level of the ministry's existing centre. Winz regional commissioner Eru Lyndon says it is part of the ministry's national plan to give counter staff more time to deal with clients.

He said ministry processes and transactions were reviewed 18 months ago with a plan to introduce the Whangarei unit to simplify the process for clients and staff.

As well, the recent rollout of Ultra Fast Broadband (UFB) gave Whangarei the upper hand when the ministry was deciding where to locate the centre.

"Whangarei was the leading city in the rollout of UFB. We feel this is consistent with a trend that will see more companies decide to do business in Northland."

The 70 officers would process Jobseeker Support, medical certificates and Childcare Subsidy reviews in Whangarei.

With front-desk staff spending less time on data input, they could spend more time supporting and talking to clients: "We want to put our clients at the centre of what we do."

Mr Lyndon said Winz was holding two rounds of recruitment, with the first in full swing and interviews for 30 to 35 staff starting next week.

According to the online job advert, people with accurate data entry and computer skills are required and, depending on experience, salaries will be between $36,474 and $41,033 a year.

The roles are full-time, Monday to Friday, with rostered shifts from 7am to 10pm, and a 6pm finish on Saturdays. Staff will start on January 19 next year. The ministry will also recruit managers for the unit.

The second phase will see the same number recruited in the new year and start in March. The James St site is being fitted out.

The announcement followed other good news for the region, with big-box retailer Kmart opening this week with 80 new staff.

Kmart had enlisted Winz as the employment agent for the store which whittled down 1074 job applications to 80.

Of the applications, 450 came from the Winz database.