Expressway drives employment rate up

After experiencing a decline in jobs for the past ten years, Horowhenua’s employment rate is finally on the way back up.

According to data from Infometrics, employment in Horowhenua shot up 2.6 per cent from July 2015 to March 2016, compared to an average decline of 0.4 per cent in the past decade.

The increase has been aided by the new Kapiti expressway.

The $630 million road between Mackays Crossing and Peka Peka, on the Kapiti Coast, opened in February. It is one part of a proposed 110 kilometre expressway from Wellington airport to Levin.

Levin’s Riverside Construction owner Mark Goodwin said since the Government had funded projects such as the expressway, his company had employed 30 to 40 per cent more workers.

The company worked on the Kapiti expressway and has projects with Kiwirail and the New Zealand Transport Agency as far north as Taupo.

Levin was an affordable base that had plenty of work, Goodwin said. ‘‘For us, it’s good because we are part of the growth. We are reaping the benefits.’’

Bryant and Simpson owner Alan Jenson, who specialises in machinery repairs and maintenance, has also experienced a boom in business.

Jenson has been in Levin for more than 60 years and expected to be able to hire more people within the next five years as business continued to grow.

In a statement, Horowhenua economic development board chairman Cameron Lewis said construction was the largest contributor to employment growth in Horowhenua from 2015 to 2016, with the sector adding 111 jobs.

Manufacturing brought in an additional 42 jobs, and agriculture, forestry and fishing added 38 jobs in the same period, Lewis said.

Total employment in Horowhenua, which has a population of about 31,900, averaged 10,326 in 2016. This was up 2.6 per cent on the previous year.

With a growing and stable workforce, affordable lifestyle, and the expressway, Horowhenua was well-placed to be a business hub for the lower North Island, he said.