Employment initiative wins local government economic development EXCELLENCE Award

Local Government New Zealand is delighted to announce Matamata-Piako District Council and Kawerau District Council are the winners of a local government EXCELLENCE Award for their combined efforts to boost economic development in both areas.

The Councils won the MartinJenkins EXCELLENCE Award for Best Practice Contribution to Local Economic Development at the LGNZ EXCELLENCE Awards in Dunedin last night. The awards, now in their third year, recognise and celebrate the outstanding leadership role local government plays within communities. More than 600 delegates from local and central government, and stakeholders, celebrated the outstanding leadership role local government plays within communities.

Their innovative and collaborative Seamless Boundaries programme was created to fill a labour shortage in Te Aroha and help unemployed people from Kawerau into jobs to increase economic and social outcomes in the neighbouring regions.

The scheme began with a conversation between Kawerau mayor Malcolm Campbell and Matamata-Piako mayor Jan Barnes, who are both strong advocates of the Mayors’ Taskforce for Jobs. They discussed how a number of people in Kawerau were struggling to find jobs while Silver Fern Farms, one of Matamata-Piako’s largest employers, was having difficulty fulfilling recruitment needs.

The programme provided wrap-around support which has helped 40 Kawerau people, of a range of ages, to relocate for employment with Silver Fern Farms in Te Aroha.

Judges praised the scheme as “a practical response which brings together people wanting to work with an employer looking for a stable workforce”.

LGNZ President Lawrence Yule says Seamless Boundaries was beautiful in its simplicity and deserving of the award.

“Regional economies need solutions like this. This scheme demonstrates a model for other regions with similar issues to emulate,” Mr Yule says.

Judges for the awards are former Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast, Chair of EQC Sir Maarten Wevers and The New Zealand Initiative’s Executive Director, Dr Oliver Hartwich.

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