8 July 2002 Speech Notes

Jim Anderton, Leader

Youth employment

1:00 pm
Monday, 8 July 2002
Lane Walker Rudkin to unveil new piece of machinery - assisted by Industry New Zealand
32 Montreal Street

Businesses like Lane Walker Rudkin are the backbone of our economy.

I am pleased to be here to celebrate business success.

As Minister for Economic Development and a proud New Zealander I am interested in our successes and in new ideas. That is why Industry New Zealand was set up to help advise businesses and give them the edge to be even more successful.

As someone who used to have a factory with raw materials going in one end and high quality manufactured goods coming out the other I appreciate the work of all of you here. I understand the issues and challenges you face.

You create products that are earning New Zealand export income and keeping New Zealanders employed.

New Zealanders are the only people in the world who will secure the future for New Zealanders.

Lane Walker Rudkin is part of a small exclusive club. You are one of the four per cent of our companies who are exporting.

One of only 8,500 businesses out of 259,000 in the whole of New Zealand. 127 companies account for 73% of our total merchandise exports. 30 companies earn half of our foreign exchange.

What is exciting is that LWR is committed to New Zealand.

Today we are starting this new tensionless dyeing machine which takes the shrinkage out of fabric, this will improve the standard of the products you supply to Marks and Spencer, in England.

It will allow production for the Haines label to be brought back to New Zealand.

This is all good news.

I also understand that LWR is committed to training and upskilling its workforce.

I am pleased to say that I am releasing the policy of the Progressive Coalition on training and employment for young New Zealanders.

I want to see everyone under 20 in jobs education or training by 2005.

This will mean extending programmes already running in Canterbury to see that every school leaver is placed in a job, an apprenticeship, or training for a job or is furthering their education at a polytechnic or university .

The dole is not an acceptable option for school leavers.

We will increase Modern Apprenticeships from 3000 to 6000 over the next two years and I want to ensure 100,000 people are in skills training by 2005 (Up from 68,000 now).

Training and investment in our businesses will make the New Zealand economy and our communities stronger. Every region is now in positive growth mode for the first time in many years and we have the lowest level of unemployment for fifteen years.

I am pleased to now start the new tensionless dyeing machine.

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