Policy Comparison - Jobs

This comparison includes policy from the following parties: Mana, Greens, Labour, NZ First, Maori,

Mana

• Make full employment a top priority of government.
• Introduce a scheme to create new community service jobs for those currently unemployed providing work in schools, hospitals, retirement villages, kuia/koroua flats, and community organisations. Workers would be paid the minimum wage instead of a benefit, and workplace adult literacy and numeracy learning would be provided where required.
• Require all State-Owned Enterprises and Maori corporate entities to prioritise the employment of New Zealand residents or face significant financial penalties.
• Increase government investment in iwi and community housing construction projects in areas where there are shortages of low cost rental housing, boosting employment.  
• Invest in a national biocrop/biodiesel initiative to create large-scale employment and energy independence from lands not suitable for food crops or farming, including Maori-owned lands.
• Create quality apprenticeship trades training schemes for young people, without high fees.
• Provide students with community-based jobs.

Greens

• Create 100,000 new jobs through direct government investment in housing, by state-owned energy companies developing exports in the renewable energy sector, and from green jobs in the private sector.
• Employ 3,000 in a paid conservation corps to plant waterways and control pests.
• Provide assistance to help farmers and councils meet environmental standards, providing jobs in fencing and planting waterways.
• Support vocational training in emerging clean technology industries.
   

Labour

• Provide $87m over 3 years to get 9,000 unemployed young people into apprenticeships with a subsidy equivalent to the dole to employers willing to offer a permanent full-time job.
• Lift the number of IT Industry interns from 200 to 1000 nationwide.
• Provide an additional 5,000 fees-free training places over 3 years for 16 and 17 year olds at risk of disengaging from education.
• Provide an additional 1,000 places over the next three years allocated to group apprenticeships, shared apprenticeships and public service cadets.
• Complete the Youth Transitions network assisting an additional 2,600 school leavers directly into employment or back to school each year.
• Funding an additional 1,500 Conservation Corp places.
• Create a seasonal jobs circuit enabling 1,300 young people looking for work to take up year-long employment in the horticultural harvests over 3 years.
   

New Zealand First

• Invest in the manufacturing sector to provide more jobs and apprenticeships.
• Increase the number of places available at polytechnic for trade training.
   

Maori

• Every Maori organisation will be asked to give two young people a job. Te Puni Kokiri will be reoriented towards an employment drive, and a focus on Whanau Ora.
• Identify lands and resources to grow food for overseas and local markets; at the same time initiating new employment.
• Expand employment opportunities in the information, computer and telecommunications technology sector through Nga Po Waea (rural and ultrafast broadband), including Maori cadetships in the digital creative sector.
• Initiate Government joint ventures with industry to buy deep sea fish processors and boats to avoid bringing in foreign contractors and achieve at least 5000 local jobs.
• Extend Community Max; Maori trade training; cadetships and apprenticeships across growth areas. 
• Establish work based training incentives within public sector and local government (‘job-taster’ programmes) - rotation amongst different companies.
• Have a short term subsidy to business owners who create new jobs for the unemployed; take on trainees; or instigate career pathways.  This will be aligned with a social marketing campaign to encourage employers to give a young person or a low-skilled person a chance of work.  
• Establish incentives for innovative employment opportunities such as a steel-framed housing pilot; or enterprise workshops (tourism).
• Establish internships, voluntary work and other vocational development including specialised programmes run jointly by employers and schools.  
• Each school-leaver will be mentored by work brokers, to enable them to graduate with a plan which prepares them for employment including possible career opportunities and tertiary study options.