Call centre to start in Waverley

Executive director of Connect Global call centre Serena Fiso.

South Taranaki has nine new jobs with a Connect Global call centre coming to Waverley, co-owner Serena Fiso says.

The nine staff start their training in the company's head office in Porirua on October 17. After that week they have three weeks' training in the new Waverley office, in the leased ANZ Bank in the town's main street.

Connect Global provides call services for corporations, government departments and other businesses. The Waverley staff will be mainly dealing with Genesis Energy calls.

Connect Global is owned by Mrs Fiso and her husband Siuai. They started it 14 years ago, with the vision of creating wealth, jobs, further education and development for Maori and Pacific people in the places where they live.

There are now 65 staff, with a head office in Porirua, a call centre of eight staff in Ruatoria and nine in a second call centre soon to operate from Waverley.

The business had grown, and clients had invited it to move to central Auckland or Wellington, but Mrs Fiso said it's sticking to its vision and staying in Porirua.

"If you take away the vision there's no purpose or passion to me."

About a year ago the business grew significantly, and Mrs Fiso looked to establish a call centre in the town where she was born, Patea. She is from Ngāti Ruanui and Ngā Rauru, was brought up in Wellington and her father is buried in Patea.

She couldn't find a suitable building in Patea, but said the former ANZ Bank in Waverley was ideal and most of the staff there will be from Patea.

It was quick and easy finding high quality staff through Trade Me, community and social networks and the Ministry of Social Development.

Waverley doesn't have ultrafast broadband yet. The new centre will use VDSL, a high specification broadband that's the next best thing.

The other rural call centre is in Ruatoria, because the Fiso family have a close friend from Ngāti Porou.

Te Kāhui o Rauru kaiwhakahaere Anne-Marie Broughton said the call centre brought just the sort of development the area needed.

"The regions need jobs, but not just any jobs. We want jobs that are sustainable - socially, economically and most importantly environmentally."

The tribe had "grave concerns" around proposed seabed mining, and was suspicious about how many long term jobs it would create, she said.

Mrs Fiso, by contrast, was creating employment pathways and bringing life back to the region.

"She is creating hope for families - a different future with more options. It is an incredible feeling to have a Ngā Rauru person returning to invest in our community."