Employment initiatives proving fruitful in Hauraki and the Coromandel

Coastal Kaitiaki, a group of cadets who are dedicated to strengthening Coromandel dunes' resilience, employed under the Mayors Taskforce For Jobs scheme.

An employment initiative rolled out across the Coromandel and Hauraki is keeping people busy.

Hauraki and Thames-Coromandel district councils have both reported positive results from the Mayors Taskforce For Jobs (MTFJ). The taskforce is an initiative involving mayors from around the country.

Both councils have recently reported successful outcomes in targeting those aged 16 to 24 with employment opportunities.

Hauraki has passed its annual target of 38 placements with 49 full-time placements.

Another 15 were considered non-Ministry of Social of Development (MSD) as they did not meet the criteria of the programme, however, the council reported there had still been people previously not in employment who were now working, and there continued to be a good number of job seekers registering with the programme.

A recent success story, Braydon Burr, was introduced to the programme by Waihi College careers teacher Carolyn Graveson.

Burr did the trades academy at Waihi College in 2023, and wanted to find an opportunity in a hands-on trade.

Mark and Sharlaine at Hutchins Engineering were on the lookout for a new member to join their team.

Hutchins Engineering, based in Waihi since 2005, covered general engineering requirements as well as having a mobile service.

After some work experience with the company, Burr secured an engineering apprenticeship.

In Thames-Coromandel, it was recently announced that three cadets in the role of Coastal Kaitiaki had their six-month contracts extended to a full year, with support from the taskforce.

Shelly Balsom, Geordie Wilson and Roman Carley worked alongside senior council staff on dune care projects.

Their positions were jointly funded through the council’s recovery fund and MSD projects in community funding.

MTFJ covered their training costs, including help with attaining driver licences, completing first aid courses and training to use agri-chemicals safely.

The Coastal Kaitiaki roles focused on addressing dune erosion along the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, which has been exacerbated by consecutive stormy winters, including Cyclone Gabrielle.

The cadets were clearing dunes of weeds and planting more plants to aid in natural dune repair.

About Mayors Taskforce For Jobs

The taskforce is a movement of mayors around Aotearoa who advocate for a bottom-up approach to employment solutions to deliver the Community Employment Programme (CEP), along with broader initiatives.

In particular, CEP is a nationwide partnership between Local Government New Zealand and the Ministry of Social Development that delivers outcomes in rural and provincial communities.

It’s championed by mayors who are working together towards the vision of all young people 16-25 engaged in employment, education, or training in their communities.

Thirty-six councils have reported 6000 employment outcomes achieved as of December 2023. Its contract with the Ministry of Social Development began in 2019.