Ngā Pou a Tāne drafts Pan Sector Collaboration Group’s submission to a Te Pukenga redesign

90% of forestry training is carried out by employers and forestry crews and 80% of wood processing training is done by processors and sawmill personnel. This is a lean training model that contributed $6.6 billion of export revenues to Aotearoa in 2023.

Proposed tradeoffs are revealed in the Government’s Te Pukenga redesign - with proposals to offset the blowout costs of Te Pukenga standards setting, overheads, campus maintenance costs, and a deficit of tens of millions. The tradeoffs are Polytechnics, standards setters, and training arrangers (winners) vs. industry work-based training and support for Māori apprentices and trainees (losers). A potential set-back for forestry and for the regions.

In its submission, the Pan Sector Collaboration Group challenges policy makers to rethink the options and include the regional economic development and export focus of people trained by the Food & Fibre Sector.

Read submission here