844 days ago

West Coast punches above its weight in job scheme

The Team Reporter from The Press

From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:

The West Coast is punching above its weight in a programme delivering support for young people seeking work and in apprenticeships.

The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ) has placed 230 West Coast workers in just two years, helping 3000 people across rural and provincial New Zealand in the same period.

The West Coast has the third highest MTFJ placement rate in the country, behind Waikato with 357 and Manawatu-Whanganui (293).

But given its relatively low population out of all the regions with just 32,000 people, the Coast is punching well above its weight.

The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs Community Recovery Programme began as a small Covid-19 recovery pilot in 2020 and Westland District has tapped into it.

Two years on the scheme is being held up as a good example of a grassroots employment initiative through a central and local government partnership.

Glacier Joinery in Hokitika are enthusiastic about it after becoming involved while taking on apprentice Lofa Leleifua several months ago.

Sarah Nixon of Glacier Joinery said having the ongoing mentoring support of local MTFJ co-ordinator Charlotte Bradley-Peni was a big advantage.

"It's not just financial but it's really nice for the young guys to know there is support out them for them," Nixon said.

"It has been awesome ... I wish we had known about it sooner."

From Glacier Joinery's point of view, MTFJ offered for Lofa excellent practical support, enabling the company to better support a young person they valued and could see "is going to be an awesome employee".

"It's a good head start."

Those embarking on an apprenticeship could find themselves really stretched as they moved out on their own, Nixon said.

Support to attain a tool kit or a laptop to assist training and tap into vocational skill opportunities like gaining a driver's licence was a big positive.

"It is a big investment and you want to get it right from the start. If there's a feeling of support they are more likely to stick with you all the way through."

Westland MTFJ workforce co-ordinator Charlotte Bradley-Peni said continuing the Community Resilience Programme within the district was a delight.

"It brings us great pleasure to assist rangatahi, like Lofa, in their employment journey."

The Westland team had some great local adolescent and young adult initiatives planned.

"We encourage young people to keep an eye on our social media to find out about them."

The scheme invested in the future of young people, "and by doing so we are investing in the future of our community".

Nationally, in the 2021-22 financial year the ministry contracted $14.7 million to Mayors Taskforce for Jobs. The scheme had exceeded its employment placement target by 25% in the past financial year.

This has included more than 1800 youth not in employment, education, or training, other youth, people displaced by Covid, and people with disabilities.

Of the more than 1800 benefiting, 380 have gained apprenticeships with the remaining participants gaining work.

The programme has also enabled 500 people to gain their driver licence and supported 700 education and training opportunities.

"This is a significant achievement in some of our smallest communities. It means our rural businesses struggling to find skilled workers are employing local people with local knowledge to be part of their team," MSD industry partnerships director Amanda Nicolle said.

"This programme is a leading example of what a strong partnership between local and central government can achieve for communities.

"Ultimately, it's about creating better life outcomes in rural communities and that no one is left behind."

More messages from your neighbours
15 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

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7 days ago

Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.

If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?

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Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
  • 62.2% Summer
    62.2% Complete
  • 36.3% Winter
    36.3% Complete
  • 1.5% Other - I'll share below
    1.5% Complete
1498 votes
4 days ago

Worst Xmas ever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.

Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...

Share your Christmas mishaps below!

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