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RNZ News
10-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Apprenticeship and training changes 'fundamentally flawed', industry groups warn
Civil Contractors NZ chief executive Alan Pollard said the reforms were about cutting costs and protecting unsusustainable polytechnics. Photo: Supplied Industry bodies say the government's overhaul of apprenticeship and workplace training will short-change employers. Organisations representing groups including dairy farmers, mechanics, and roading and infrastructure companies warned Parliament's Education and Workforce Select Committee on Thursday the changes would not give them sufficient say over skills training and qualifications for their employees. They said the government's Education and Training (Vocational Education and Training System) Amendment Bill would give the government and its agencies authority over standard-setting and qualification development, but that power should rest with industries. The bill would replace mega-institute Te Pūkenga and standards-setting Workforce Development Councils with stand-alone polytechnics and Industry Skills Boards next year. Some of the industry bodies told the committee replacing the councils with boards receiving half the level of government funding was a mistake. Civil Contractors NZ chief executive Alan Pollard said the decision was "fundamentally flawed". He said the government's reforms were about cutting costs and protecting unsustainable polytechnics. They were also critical of plans for the workplace-training organisations currently in Te Pūkenga to come under control of industry skills boards for up to two years before becoming independent training providers. Motor Trade Association head of advocacy James McDowall said the former Motor Trades ITO should be shifted directly from Te Pūkenga to an industry-controlled charity. Business NZ education and skills manager Rachel Simpson told the committee the legislation risked "knocking the knees out" of the VET system. Simpson said the system was already failing to provide workers with the skills industry needed, which represented wasted investment. Recreation Aotearaoa chief executive Sarah Murray said high-cost but important programmes such as outdoor leadership would remain under-funded and at risk under the government's changes. Ringa Hora, the Services Workforce Development Council warned that disestablishing the councils at the end of the year and replacing them with industry skills boards with half the government funding was unworkable. Toi Mai the workforce development council for sectors including arts and technology said the VET system already did not meet the needs of those sectors. It warned the bill would entrench a system for a world of work that was already being left behind.
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Civil Contractors NZ Welcomes Budget 2025 Infrastructure Investment But Warns Of ‘Pipe Dreams'
Press Release – Civil Contractors NZ While the Government has ensured room in its fiscal plan for emerging infrastructure needs, we need physical works coming online now so we can retain the industry experience our nation needs to address the infrastructure deficit the government has committed … Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ) has welcomed the Government's 2025 Budget announcement to invest in infrastructure, but warns the benefits will be limited unless immediate action is taken to reduce the delays between project announcements and shovels in the ground. The association said the current infrastructure pipeline was promising in principle, but noted many businesses were downsizing or exiting the market due to infrastructure announcements taking too long to reach the construction stage. 'Our members are responsible for delivering the roads, water infrastructure, and energy networks New Zealanders depend on. They are ready and willing to get shovels in the ground, but projects remain stalled in planning or bogged down in consenting processes,' said CCNZ Chief Executive Alan Pollard. 'While the Government has ensured room in its fiscal plan for emerging infrastructure needs, we need physical works coming online now so we can retain the industry experience our nation needs to address the infrastructure deficit the government has committed to fixing.' He said projects recently announced by the Government such as Riverlink, Tauriko West and Mill Road were positive, and the industry looked forward to getting to starting work on these important infrastructure works, in addition to proposed smaller works packages. 'It would be a major missed opportunity if the infrastructure pipeline investment of $6.8 billion in capital infrastructure projects in Budget 2025 becomes a pipe dream because the country has been left with a skeleton workforce,' Mr Pollard said. 'Without a steady stream of projects, we risk not only losing skilled workers and businesses, but also the capacity to train the next generation. Many contractors are already being forced to consider scaling down or seeking opportunities overseas.' The government's investment in the tertiary system, including a boost in funding rates for engineering and trades was also welcome news, Mr Pollard said. 'We're pleased to see Government acknowledge construction, engineering, and trades as priority investment areas. We know on-the-job training is the most effective way to develop a highly skilled domestic workforce, however that can't happen if jobs aren't available.' Improving pathways for skilled overseas workers will help to train and bolster our domestic workforce, retaining and developing our domestic workforce is crucial to ensuring long-term capacity, he said. 'We support efforts to bring in skilled workers from offshore, but we're pleased to see the government has not lost sight of the urgent need to retain and grow our local workforce'.
NZ Herald
25-04-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Te Puke's John Rohloff claims second at excavator competition
'I wasn't expecting anything like this. 'When I saw my name come up across a number of the events [during the awards night], I thought 'Jeez, I might be in with a shot here'. 'I owe it to my employers, Fulton Hogan, for supporting me in doing this, and to Civil Contractors NZ for putting this on. 'I'm just grateful.' Rohloff said he thought the key was good time management, especially on the Saturday of the two-day event. 'That's what helped on the 135 13-tonne challenge; I set good times and I achieved what I wanted to.' First-place winner Northland's Steven George demonstrated his grit to rise above a historic field of competitors, outclassing 11 of the country's top operators to reign supreme. The Whangārei owner-operator showcased nerves of steel and precision operating to clinch the victory. He took the title over Bay of Plenty champion Rohloff, while last year's runner-up, Michael Brown, also of Fulton Hogan, took third place. George's success in the competition, held on March 14-15 at Manfeild Park in Feilding during Central Districts Field Days, follows previous attempts in 2023, when he was runner-up, and 2024, when he took third. He was supported at the competition by Julie Fraser. Victory speech George said winning the competition title was 'bloody awesome' and thanked everyone involved for their efforts in his victory speech. 'Thanks very much to everybody who put this on. 'All the organisers, sponsors, volunteers, it's just great 'Third nudge at this. I was second, dropped to third and managed to get there today. I wasn't too confident. 'I enjoyed watching all the other competitors. Everybody's pretty skilled. I don't usually get nervous, but this evening was a bit of that.' This year's event marked the 31st anniversary of the excavator 'battle royale' and broke new ground with three female regional champions — Georgia Lyford, of Canterbury Westland, Lydia Hill, of Nelson Marlborough, and Tanya Claxton, of Hawke's Bay East Coast — competing in the national finals for the first time in the competition's history. The 2025 winners: Champion: Steven George, Steven George Contracting, Northland Connexis One-day Job Challenge: Josh Keane, McEwan Haulage, Otago
