Support for youth employment in Waimakariri

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

From local democracy reporter David Hill:

A Waimakariri youth employment advocate is pleased to see more opportunities for young people.

Former Waimakariri Youth Council co-chairperson Ellie Tizzard is ‘‘excited’’ to hear the Waimakariri District Council has joined the Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ) programme.

‘‘It is very exciting. I think it will be a good opportunity for local youth and it has worked well in the Hurunui.

‘‘It will be a nice addition to the district.’’

Tizzard has been working with Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey on a youth employment project since 2020 as a Covid-19 initiative.

The idea came out of the Waimakariri Youth Development Strategy, which the youth council worked on in 2018.

The following year Tizzard completed a youth employment survey while serving as Mr Doocey’s Youth MP.

She was recently invited to join the Youth Futures North Canterbury initiative, a partnership between local education providers, the Ministries of Education and Social Development, and the Waimakariri District Council.

‘‘There are so many people who have identified an issue, so it just needs to be narrowed down going forward as a long term sustainable thing.’’

Tizzard and Doocey launched an initiative on Labour Day last year to promote youth employment over the summer holidays.

A website was launched which linked to resources and tips for both employers and young jobseekers: linktr.ee/youthemploymentwaimakariri.

‘‘I’ve had quite a few businesses say they have seen the promotion and seen the information provided alongside it,’’ she said.

‘‘In a way it has made them a bit more confident to take that next step.’’
The pair now planned to roll out a continuous campaign to help connect employers and young people.

They have connected with Enterprise North Canterbury and Tizzard was keen to work alongside the new Waimakakriri MTFJ co-ordinator when appointed.

While figures for the December 2022 quarter were not available yet, the national unemployment rate in the September quarter was 3.3%.

Waimakariri’s unemployment rate in September last year was just 2.4%
The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment’s Labour Market Force fact sheet, produced in December, found the ‘‘underutilisation rate’’ across New Zealand was 9% for the September quarter.

The underutilisation rate combined unemployment with under-employment - those in part time work, but seeking full time employment.

Tizzard said a high underutilisation rate at a time when employers were struggling to find staff ‘‘highlights a disconnect between jobseekers and employers’’.

‘‘These are pretty surprising statistics in this kind of environment with employers struggling to find people.’’