Kaikōura Mayors’ Taskforce for Jobs programme.
Photo: Davud Hill
The future of a youth jobs programme in Kaikōura is in peril, despite previous successes.
Te Hā o Mātauranga has been approved by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to receive a second tranche of funding from the latest round of the Mayors’ Taskforce for Jobs programme.
But despite that cash injection, its future beyond June 30 remains uncertain due to the changing rules on who qualifies for support, Kaikōura Mayor Craig Mackle said.
The government changed the criteria as it wants support targeted on getting people off the benefit rather than helping school leavers.
It is also planning means testing for 18 and 19-year-olds applying for a Jobseekers’ Benefit.
”The new criteria was never going to work here, but they (MSD) can see what we’ve done over the last few years and they recognise it’s still meeting a need,” Mackle said.
Mackle said the Kaikōura programme has had success over the last five years in supporting school leavers into employment, meaning there are comparatively few young people on a JobSeekers’ Benefit long term.
”In the meantime, we’ve gone from being the fence at the top of the cliff, to the ambulance at the bottom,” Mackle said.
Kaikōura’s funding was slashed from $260,000 to $100,000 for the year from July 1, 2025, prompting a rethink of how the programme is offered in the district.
There are few options for school leavers, as many young people end up leaving town for tertiary education, training or employment.
This year’s funding is for 12 sustainable job placements, compared to 30 for the previous 12 months.
And under the new criteria, the programme can only work with up to five school leavers, a number already exceeded.
This financial year, the national programme supported 839 young people into employment nationally and is on track to reach the target of 900, according to Local Government New Zealand.
”The programme is built on the foundation that mayors know their communities and districts intimately and understand the challenges and opportunities for their communities,” said a LGNZ spokesperson.
”Initiatives such as this are particularly important amid a period of high unemployment rates for young people.”
A Ministry of Social Development spokesperson said funding and the criteria for the 2026/27 financial year will be announced in June.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.