2002 PROJECTS
Te Araroa Far North
Taranaki Youthworks
Launchpad
4 Trades
Innovative Waste
Buller Youth Works
Kaipara Harbour
Go Westland
Waimakariri Youth
Te Araroa Whangarei
Otara Work Co-op
Theatre Marae
LAST Letter
NEXT Letter 
Download this issue
as a PDF file
Index to Back Issues
Index to Features
EMPLOYMENT
CATALYST 2002
Assessment, evaluation and decisions on funding these projects have been carried out by Jo Howard (Taupo) and Rodger Smith (Auckland) from the Jobs Research Trust, and Jan Francis (Christchurch) the Executive Officer of the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs.
Advisers to this group have been Vivian Hutchinson and Dave Owens (both of the Jobs Research Trust, based in New Plymouth) and Garry Moore (Mayor of Christchurch and chair of the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs). Jobs Research Trust Secretary is Shirley Vickery.
Our Tindall Foundation partners during this year have included Tim McMains and Trevor Gray (Managers) and Evelyn Gauntlett (Administrator). Special thanks to Margaret and Stephen Tindall.
The Employment Catalyst has also received grant support this year from The J.R.McKenzie Trust.
|
 |
 |
In 2001, The Jobs Research Trust was asked to become a funding manager for the Tindall Foundation, with a special focus on employment initiatives. The Trustees agreed to manage a special fund, now known as the Employment Catalyst, that would support local solutions to unemployment.
Because of their partnership with the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs, the Jobs Research Trustees decided to make initiatives emerging from the Mayors Taskforce the priority for the Employment Catalyst . The Trustees especially wanted to support projects that focused on the Mayors primary goal that, “by 2005, no young person under 25 years will be out of work or training in our communities.”
The Employment Catalyst Fund specifically wants to encourage:
— “leading edge” and innovative initiatives for employment creation in New Zealand.
— projects that value employment that can be created in the not-for-profit and environmental sectors.
— longer-term strategies within an overall vision for local social, economic and environmental sustainability.
— projects that acknowledge the changing nature of work in our society and recognise the need to investigate new ways of addressing unemployment.
All projects have been sponsored by a Taskforce Mayor, and the projects have had to find matching funds.
The Employment Catalyst is now contributing towards a dozen projects throughout the country. In this special issue of The Jobs Letter, we give a short profile of each project and how they are getting on.
TE ARAROA FAR NORTH TRAIL
The Te Araroa Trust has been funded $50,000 this year for the formation and development of the Ocean to Ocean Trail from Ahipara to Kerikeri in Northland. The project will create employment both in the building of the trail and in servicing the tourism facilities engendered by the trail. The project is championed by the Mayor of the Far North Yvonne Sharp. Project contacts are Fiona Vessey and Geoff Chapple.
[click for project profile]
YOUTHWORKS TARANAKI
The Taranaki Employment Support Foundation project “Youthworks” has been funded $41,600 this year. Youthworks provides 40 full-time paid jobs in the not-for-profit sector for currently unemployed youth. The project develops their skills and provides them with qualifications to gain full time employment, and also make an important contribution to the capacity of the community sector and the overall well-being of the local community. The project is championed by the Mayor of New Plymouth Peter Tennent. Project contact is Elaine Gill.
[click for project profile]
LAUNCH PAD — NATIONWIDE
The Employment Scholarship Trust has been funded $50,000 this year to run its Launch Pad programme. This project is based in Christchurch but also operating in the regions, initially Wellington, Nelson, Tauranga, and soon Dunedin and Rotorua. The project places school leavers in paid “on-the-job” training positions within an office environment. The vision of the project is “to provide a new model of employment brokerage — providing school leavers with a supported pathway in the vital one year transition from school to work.” Launch Pad is based on the successful pilot project run by Christchurch lawyer Simon Mortlock. The project is championed by the Mayor of Christchurch Garry Moore. Project contact is Jo Wolfreys.
[click for project profile]
4 TRADES DUNEDIN
The Malcam Charitable Trust in Dunedin has been funded $45,000 this year for the 4 TRADES project. This scheme will find 40 apprenticeship positions for young people — responding to the present need for more skilled labour in the trades sector. The trust has worked initially with Winz and the PS Training Company Ltd (with NZQA accreditation and an established track record) to provide the young people with necessary training and support. The project is modelled on the 4 HIRE programme which the Malcam Trust has launched successfully in partnership with Winz, Corrections and PARS. The project is championed by the Mayor of Dunedin Sukhi Turner. Project contact is Malcolm Cameron.
[click for project profile]
INNOVATIVE WASTE YOUTH TEAM
Innovative Waste Kaikoura Trust has been funded $50,000 this year for a project with long-term unemployed young people. The Trust, who manage Kaikoura’s Landfill and Resource Recovery Centre, work with “at risk” young people who have a history of vandalism in the district. They are put in a team with a full-time supervisor, paid a wage, and initiated into a working lifestyle. The Youth Team works with recycling (including auto dismantling) and learning basic welding, metalcraft, and auto mechanic skills. They also have the opportunity to be a part of other Innovative Waste projects such as growing seedlings, tree planting, roadside work in the district and contract work on reserve land. This project is championed by the Mayor of Kaikoura, Jim Abernethy. Project contact is John Ransley.
[click for project profile]
BULLER YOUTH WORKS
New Project: Buller Youth Works has been set up as an independent trust by the Buller District Council with the aim of matching young unemployed people with new and small businesses. The overall goal is to increase youth employment at the same time as developing small businesses in the region. The Centre aims to catch school leavers before they fall through the gaps and find training or full-time employment for them. The Centre will initially employ these young people, thus reducing compliance costs for first time employers. The Centre will also operate as a job placement service with a large emphasis on training and further education, both for the potential young employees and the small employer. This project is still in the early stages of development, and funding support has been approved for $50,000. By November 2000, a manager has been appointed and already people have been placed into work and training positions. The project is being championed by the Buller Mayor Pat O'Dea. Project contact is Kevin Clifford.
KAIPARA HARBOUR ACCESS
New project: Kaipara District Economic Development Trust intends to open up the Kaipara Harbour with the aim of enabling the establishment of industry, commerce and tourism and the jobs these can bring. The harbour is the districts most significant natural resource but currently has insufficient access and services. This project will construct a public wharf in Dargaville, upgrade the Tikinui wharf and relocate a public boat ramp, to give quality access to the Kaipara Harbour. Jobs and training opportunities for local unemployed young people will be provided in the initial construction phase. Opening up the harbour is expected to provide ongoing employment growth with rising tourism, agriculture and fishing industries. This project is still in the early stages of development and the funding support has been approved for $50,000. The project is being championed by Kaipara District Mayor Graeme Ramsey. Project contact is Jason Smith.
GO WESTLAND
Go Westland is staging a competition for 16 to 25 year olds who have been invited to come up with business ideas and are being provided with mentoring and assistance to develop them into business plans. The project aims to build young people’s confidence and skills, encourage innovation in the community and create a pool of ideas which can be pursued to create business and employment opportunities in the Westland region. This project is being championed by the Westland Mayor John Drylie. Project contact is John Howard.
[click for project profile]
WAIMAKARIRI YOUTH WORKERS
The Waimakariri Community Development Trust has been funded $14,000 this year for a Community Youth Worker initiative which provides training and employment for young people who have been excluded from school, and have diminished prospects of a positive future. Youth Workers Dave and Diane Stevens work alongside the young people and their families and two qualified tutors in carpentry and mechanics teach the young people a range of marketable skills. These young people are supported long-term and this project is part of a district-wide integrated Youth Work Team involving government and community based services. This project is championed by Waimakariri Mayor Jim Gerard. Project Contact is Deirdre Ryan.
[click for project profile]
TE ARAROA WHANGAREI HEADS TRAIL
New Project: The Whangarei District Council will begin work this summer on a Mt Aubrey track, en route to Whangarei Heads. The track will be part of Te Araroa, whose blueprint for a national trail suggests that walkers walk between Whangarei City to the heads, cross the harbour by water taxi, and continue the Te Araroa Trail along the Coast. The Whangarei District Council has been funded $50,000 for its trail development in the Whangarei Heads area. This will help employ 3-4 young workers (chosen from local unemployed people) under the direction of an experienced supervisor. It is also expected that this walking track will provide longer-term economic benefits to the Whangarei Heads area through businesses guiding and portering, providing accommodation and hospitality, and saelling of local arts and crafts to the visiting walkers. This project is being championed by Whangarei Mayor Craig Brown. Project contact is Glenda Bostwick.
OTARA WORK CO-OPERATIVE
New Project: The Otara Work Co-operative is a project of the Otara Partnership for Jobs in conjunction with the Manukau City Council. They have been funded $50,000 this year to help them offer a variety of programmes to create employment in one of the most disadvantaged communities in NZ. The Work Co-op will act as a seeding ground for independent business and not-for profit enterprises, and will organise internships and temporary labour contracts for young people as precursor to gaining permanent employment. This project is being championed by Manukau City Mayor Sir Barry Curtis. Project contact is Annette Smithard.
PORIRUA THEATRE MARAE
New Project: Te Rakau Hua o Te Wao Tapu will target young people in Porirua who are unemployed or “at risk”. Te Rakau Charitable Trust has been funded $20,000 to run a twelve week community-based “Theatre Marae — Theatre for Wellness” under the direction of leading NZ writer, director, and actor Jim Moriarty. Moriarty’s methods blend Maori tikanga (customs), wairua (spirituality), conventional drama, addiction recovery techniques and psychiatry to create a theatre of change and possible “resurrection”. The objectives of this programme for unemployed people is to motivate the participants to become more work-ready and employment focused, place them in an environment where they will learn about time management, taking direction from others and working as part of a team. It will give them the experience of taking a project through to completion and intervene in cycles of violence, poverty or abuse by “standing up, taking stock and owning one’s past”. This project is being championed by Porirua Mayor Jenny Brash. Project contact is Melissa Crockett.
|
