Support Services » Muka Tangata Workforce Development Council

21,120

Total Filled jobs in Agricultural and Fishing Support Services for June 2022 quarter
5,190

Total Filled jobs in Agricultural Product Wholesaling for June 2022 quarter
64,100

Individuals worked in Support Services across 2021
$1.4 b

Contribution to GDP by Landscaping Services, and Livestock and Other Agricultural Supplies Wholesaling industries as of 2023

Overview

Last updated: 21 December 2023

Support Services is an overarching name for a collection of industries that supports the outputs of the food and fibre production sector. This grouping is not an industry in its own right, and the issues for each area are individual. They are necessarily diverse and the binding feature is that they are about services provided that are required for the sector to operate. Support Services includes a wide variety of jobs from pest control to artificial insemination, and sheep dipping. These are roles which are crucial to the success of the wider food and fibre sector, with some jobs such as sheep dipping going back to 1280AD in Britain, when tar was rubbed into the fleeces of the sheep as a remedy for scab.

The Support Services group is divided into:

Hunting and Trapping
Landscaping Construction Services
Other Agricultural Product Wholesaling
Other Agriculture and Fishing Support Services

These industries can overlap with multiple parts of the food and fibre sector, with the most common being Nursery, Turf and Gardening; Arable; Sheep, Beef and Deer; Fruit; and Vegetables. For example, fencing is mainly a support service for land-based industries such as Nursery, Turf and Gardening; Arable; and Sheep, Beef and Deer industries but is not relevant to industries such as Seafood and Veterinary Nursing, whereas artificial insemination is a support service in livestock production such as Sheep, Beef and Deer, but is not relevant to Nursery, Turf and Gardening or Arable. These crossovers create some complexities that are unique to the Support Services industry group.

Together these sub-industries represent the largest grouping of employees across the food and fibre sector. In 2021, we counted over 64,100 people in the Support Services workforce, with 11% of the workforce being on work or work holiday visas. Many of these roles are very specific or seasonal. The seasonal nature of several sub-industries means that some areas have a transitory workforce, and in certain cases this also makes it difficult to attract and retain staff. There is an opportunity within these challenges to review and build qualifications, standards and micro-credentials that are flexible depending on the specific needs of the workforce that, where applicable, are transferrable across the industries and the wider food and fibre sector.

View the Arboriculture industry dashboard, including learner enrolments and workforce data for Arborists here: Arboriculture industry.

Find out about our work to assess the quality of programmes delivered by providers for this industry here.

A snapshot of the Support Services workforce development plan is available for download here. Please note that this reflects a point in time (July 2024). The most up to date information is on the workforce development plans website.

Trends and Analysis

This section provides information about the workforce, industry and Vocational Education and Training (VET) provision and performance. It shows data and research focused on key aspects of Muka Tangata industry groups and learners. This section is expected to feature regular updates to the data and trends being showcased.

Industry

Insights for Industry about trends in economic performance indicators.

Workforce

Insights on the workforce, including; size, ethnicity, age, regional distribution, and gender.

Learners and Providers

Insights about learners, including trends in enrolments and mix of provision.

Projects

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.