Ratonga Tautoko Support Services

The Support Services industry group covers a large variety of industries, and makes up the largest number of people in the food and fibre workforce. There are common opportunities across the diverse range of industries. Qualifications are limited and, in some cases, are not aligned with more recent government strategies and plans - It is not uncommon for informal training to fill the gap.   

Many of the roles in the industry require specific skills and often seasonal schedules and remuneration varies across the different sub-industries. There is not a lot of flexibility to easily move between the sub-industries. In some cases, these factors can also make it difficult to attract and retain people in the industry. More specifically, the pest control industry has a few challenges with existing training. The existing formal qualifications for pest control do not have mātauranga Māori well embedded in them and are not aligned with the Predator Free 2050 goals of the Department of Conservation. 

As part of our mahi, we are supporting Toi Mai in their conservation work in relation to pest control so that there is a common view for a workforce that spans across sectors. You can find out more about this project on the Toi Mai website.  

This is our plan to address the vocational education and training opportunities that arose from our engagement, research and analysis. It includes real projects that we are committed to delivering, with most of these spanning across some or all Muka Tangata industries. Our Projects have replaced our previous “Roadmap Actions” and present a consolidated view of our mahi. Some of the previous roadmap actions have been completed or closed out following a review of our work programme and engagement with industry on the priority of these actions.