Regional Plan for Auckland North

CONTENTS:

• Message from the Chief Executive
• Regional Commissioner’s report
• Our region
• Our regional strategies
• Objectives and key tasks
• Achieving our key tasks
• Our community commitment
• Consultation

MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to introduce this Regional Plan to you. It is a summary of what we ’ve achieved for this region during the year, but it is also a strategy for how we will be doing even better in future.

I am always very proud to be able to tell people about the Department of Work and Income’s successes, and the hugely significant role our staff play in achieving that. I believe this Plan illustrates just how hard they have been working for the people of this region.

While highlighting the positive steps we’ve taken in the local labour market to really make a difference for those living and breathing the special nature of this region, this Plan also looks further ahead, to the goals we ’ve set our sights on for the coming months. We are taking every opportunity we have to meet our commitment to help all New Zealanders achieve independence.

We are engaging with communities more than ever before. A strong foundation for our ability to do this is our regional flexibility strategy –local solutions to local needs.

Already we ’ve seen good indicators that this focus will move us ahead very quickly in meeting the needs of the individuals who make this region the special place it is. As always, we will be closely focused on the local client base. We ’ll be organising our resources to target local needs in the most appropriate way for a particular area, or client group.

‘Closing the Gaps’ is also at the forefront in every case. The Department is in a special position to make a difference here, with our Maori and Pacific clients already a key target area for our specialised programmes to assist people in taking a full part in the economic, community and educational life of their locality.

I know this Plan sets the right challenges to meet the needs of this community, and I believe it demonstrates the special local understanding, knowledge and expertise our staff can offer. Working together, and in local partnership, we can only have success.

CHRISTINE RANKIN

REGIONAL COMMISSIONER’S REPORT

As I plan for the coming year, it is timely that we look back at what was achieved last year and what we learned from our experiences.

The Auckland North region presents some unique challenges with a fast growing labour market on the North Shore, the ‘can do ’attitude of the community in West Auckland and growing area of Rodney, which is projected to grow to the size of Hamilton within 10 years.

Separate strategies are required for each of these areas, with the benefit of being able to develop local solutions to meet the unique challenges of each sub-region.

I am indebted to the mayors, enterprise agencies, council staff, community groups, local employment committees, Waipareira Trust, Pacific Island Advisory Board, training providers and beneficiary advocates, with whom I have had contact and who in some way have shaped the various plans we have developed together.

With the help of these collaborations and partnerships, the region has placed more than 5,000 job seekers into work (nearly 1, 000 were Maori), the majority of which were permanent full-time positions.

More than $2 million had been spent on targeted training programmes purchased specifically to meet the needs of the region ’s clients. More than 3,500 clients will have attended a development activity that will have led them closer to a job than before. More than 25% were Maori.

In the main, the service delivery to clients has been individual and there has been some specialisation, particularly for migrants on the North Shore and young people throughout the region.In Helensville, we have tried with some success to case manage whole families.

Developing their own business, for some clients, is a realistic option. Migrants, in particular, take up this option. 170 clients will have been helped into their own business by the end of this financial year.

The challenge for the coming year is to build on these foundations and learn from the past year. If there is any one thing I have learnt, it is that the closer the training is to a job, the greater the chance for a job seeker to be employed. Work-based training and specific skill training such as heavy traffic licenses have produced outstanding results. Collaboration between training providers rather than competition will see provider strengths used to help individual clients return to the workforce.

The strategies for building the capacity of the Maori, Pacific Peoples and migrant communities are a direct consequence of input from those communities synthesised with the practical day-to-day experience of my staff.

Partnerships and alliances with key stakeholders, Government agencies, community groups and the private sector will continue to need to be strengthened,with a particular focus on economic development. In addition, we must continue to provide services to all clients ensuring individual needs are met and correct benefit entitlements are received.

In order to ensure that this plan links to the strategic outcomes Government has in the employment area, attention has been given to ensuring that regional strategies are compatible with the three high-level Government employment goals of capacity, opportunity and matching.

Finally, all of these initiatives cannot happen without my managers and staff as well as our communities working together for the good of those whom we seek to help.

OUR REGION

Introduction

Auckland North consists of three distinct sub-regions – Waitakere, North Shore and Rodney. However, significant percentages of each area’s labour force work outside the areas in which they live. As a result, economic influences in the greater Auckland region impact on these three local economies.

The following information has been compiled from Infometrics data and information from the Department of Work and Income, as well as feedback from employers, training providers, community groups and staff. This feedback was given through various consultation meetings and in a survey which covered growth industries, industries in decline, skills and qualifications needed for jobs, wider issues affecting employment as well as changes the Department can make to its services.

Most of those who took part in the consultation survey indicated that the retail trade would grow, both in the next 12 months and the next five years. The survey also identified communication services, cafes and restaurants, tourism and hospitality, manufacturing, education, health and community services as other growth industries. A quarter of those surveyed believed agriculture, forestry, fishing, Government administration and defence would decline in the next five years.

Everyone consulted agreed that the lack of an effective public ranspor system is one of he major issues that needs addressing to ensure employment opportunities can grow. A time use survey recently released by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Statistics New Zealand found that paid workers spend an average of 44 minutes each day ravelling to and from their workplace.

The three Auckland regions recognise the impor ance of working closely together and establishing collaborative partnerships and relationships across the sectors for the benefit of clients and communities.

Waitakere

This sub-region includes Waitakere City and the Avondale ward of Auckland City. Waitakere’s main industries are manufacturing, construction and retailing. These industries, along with health and education, provide most of he area’s jobs. Other important industries are film and television production,viticulture,property services,defence forces and Government administration. Small businesses are an important feature of the local economy.The economy is under-represented in the fast growing sectors such as electronics, electrical goods and telecommunication equipment.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing makes up just under a quarter of the area’s economy and after some difficult years, the industry’s prospects are now positive thanks to a recovery in export markets and the lower New Zealand dollar.

Waitakere City’s manufacturing sector is expected to grow by around 5% per year. A diverse range of manufacturing occurs in Waitakere, from light to heavy and from basic to highly processed production. Manufacturing tends to be on a small, localised scale. The manufacture of wood and metal products for building, plastics production, a tissue factory, boat building, clothing and footwear production are among the biggest providers of jobs in the sector.

Manufacturing growth will be slightly slower in Waitakere than in other parts of the Auckland region, because Waitakere is under-represented in the faster growing sectors such as electronics, electrical goods and telecommunication equipment.

Construction

The ‘small business’ character of Waitakere’s economy is especially noticeable in the construction sector. The majority of construction employment is in house-building and associated trades, with house-builders and electricians the biggest groups by employment. However, commercial builders and contractors are also present.

The construction industry, which services the greater Auckland region, is likely to be affected by a predicted downturn in the housing market during the next year. Nevertheless, Waitakere’s construction industry is expected to grow by an average of 4% per year over the three years to March 2002. In addition, there are a number of commercial developments in the pipeline such as expansion to the West City shopping mall, the redevelopment of the aquatic centre and a $60 million investment in the Waitakere hospital. Transport, communication and storage are also expected to be growth areas.

Retailing

The retail trade sector employs 5,683 people in Waitakere, up by 4.1%. With a significant retail base, Waitakere has benefited more than most from the economic recovery and associated rise in household spending. A rising number of tourists, boosted by big events such as the America’s Cup and the inclusion of the city in new regional tourist routes, has increased employment in these areas.

The people

More than half of Waitakere City’s residents work outside the city boundaries, meaning the area is affected by he economies of other Auckland regions. The nature of the local economy also means that many of the available jobs are low skilled and low paid.

A 3.5 to 4% economic growth rate is predicted in Waitakere City over the next three years. This is expected to be driven by population growth and manufacturing.

Waitakere City’s population grew by 6.6% between June 1996 and June 1999. The city has been affected by a decrease in international immigration, but Statistics New Zealand estimates it will be the second fastest growing district in the Auckland region during the next 20 years. The area’s population is young and ethnically diverse as follows.

• NZ Pakeha –70%.
• Maori –12%.
• Pacific Peoples –11%.
• Asian –7%.
• Other –1%.