The three Wairarapa mayors struck the first partnership of a kind in Aotearoa in July 2023 when they joined forces in the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ) programme, which finds work for young people, matching their skills, abilities and goals with the specific needs of employers.
One year in and they have now facilitated the placement of 90 young people aged 16 to 24 in work, 68 of them in sustainable long term employment.
“Every young person we get into a job is a young person who is on their way to realising their potential” says Mayor Martin Connelly of South Wairarapa District Council.
“In particular I give a shoutout to all the amazing employers in the district who work with the three Mayors to find local solutions to our local employment challenges.”
Left to right: Kylie Brady, Youth2Work Team Leader; Leah Hume, employee at Neighbourhood supported by Youth2Work; Loni Hansen, owner of Neighbourhood Cafe; Mayor Martin Connelly and Jenni Hall, Youth2Work Business Connector
“By changing one life at a time, the Mayors Task Force for Jobs is changing thousands of lives intergenerationally and saving the country money in welfare in the process. Helping young people into sustainable employment improves the quality of the individual’s life and the quality of life for their future partner and children. We say it takes a village to raise a child. The Wairarapa is doing exactly that, very successfully,” says Carterton district Mayor Ron Mark.
The prospects for young people on Jobseeker benefits are dire, says Mayor Connelly, who notes that there are 20,000 more people on the Jobseeker benefit this year than at the same time last year. “I have been told that teenagers on a youth payment will spend an average of 24 years of their working lives on a benefit. This is a huge waste of their potential and I regard it as a moral duty to help people escape that future,” says Mayor Connelly.
The MTFJ is a national partnership between Local Government New Zealand and the Ministry for Social Development, which puts funds into 33 rural and provincial mayoral led local employment programmes, focussing on young people.
Masterton district Mayor Gary Caffell says the success of MTFJ relies heavily on the ability of those contracted to successfully promote the scheme and the buy in from businesses.
“We are very fortunate in both respects in the Wairarapa. The REAP team is committed to providing employment for our young people and, despite a tough financial climate, our business community is certainly playing its part,” says Caffell.
“The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs is a success story that keeps on giving. Long may it continue.”
- If you want to have a chat about employment opportunities, get in touch with Youth2Work Wairarapa online at Youth2work.nz or phone 0800 968 842.
Editor’s notes
What is the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs?
The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ) Community Employment Programme (CEP) is a nationwide partnership between Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) and the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) that has a strong focus on getting young people into sustainable employment.
How it all began
MTFJ was formed in February 2000 by seven mayors from around Aotearoa, including former Mayors Garry Moore of Christchurch, Derek Fox of Wairoa, Sukhi Turner of Dunedin, Jenny Brash of Porirua, John Chaffey of Hurunui, Jill White of Palmerston North and Tim Shadbolt of Invercargill.
Ministry of Social Development targets and delivery for the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs
Community Employment Programme
| Year | Target | Delivery |
| 2019/20 | nil | 91 |
| 2020/21 | 1,150 | 1,511 |
| 2021/22 | 1,450 | 1,624 |
| 2022/23 | 1,450 | 1,706 |
| 2023/24 | 1,111 | 1,404 |
| 2024/25 | 888 | Current year (70 so far) |
