Maori Trade Training Scheme Will Make A Difference

“The Government must bring back the Maori trade training scheme if it wants to tackle the rising number of jobless Maori youth,” says Maori Party tertiary education spokesperson Te Ururoa Flavell.

“We are facing a national emergency and it will only get worse for young Maori and the nation as a whole if the Government does not make the bold decision to bring back one of this country’s most successful training schemes.”

Of all the schemes various Governments have run to try and address the many social issues faced by Maori, the Maori trade training scheme was by far one of the most successful having produced thousands of Maori carpenters, electricians, plumbers and other trades people from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Mr Flavell said bringing back the scheme was not the only solution, but that it was worth serious consideration by the Tertiary Minister.

“There are huge problems in the education system too but fixing that isn’t going to happen right away. What can happen right now is the minister making a commitment to bring back a scheme that worked, that made a difference for thousands of Maori families, the economy and our nation as a whole.

“There’s a lot of well paid work out there for trades people and anyone who has been looking for a builder lately will tell you it isn’t easy to get them.”

The Maori Party’s tertiary education policy included investing in trade training and apprenticeships developed and delivered in conjunction with key industry sectors to up skill workers and address skill shortages.

ENDS

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