Time for ‘left-field’ thinking

An ‘‘empty building audit’’ is one of several solutions to Marlborough’s worker accommodation gap likely to be floated at a workshop next month.

The region faces a shortage of up to 1800 workers next year as three large construction projects get underway; the co-location of the boys’ and girls’ colleges, the Picton ferry terminal redevelopment and a Summerset retirement village.

The Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) is working on regional reports to show the scale of the country’s worker shortage. Following an initial industry workshop that ranked Marlborough’s key challenges in April, a second workshop later this month will brainstorm possible solutions.

BCITO insight and innovation manager

Mark Williams said an empty building audit was one of several solutions recommended for Otago, in their economic forecast last year following a similar set of workshops.

Like Marlborough, Otago was finding it hard to attract and accommodate skilled workers for major upcoming projects during a growth period due to a housing supply shortage, he said.

‘‘If accommodation is an issue, the empty house audit is certainly one of the solutions that has been floated for other regions, to see whether there is a supply of empty buildings that could be better used.’’

Along with ensuring a healthy workplace culture, employer support could include helping workers find housing, and helping them connect with services such as schools and doctors, the Otago report said.

‘‘There are potentially different solutions for people who are in the region temporarily, compared to those who migrate longterm . . . This could include people in specific occupations that are in-demand only for a very short term, and also people who are only needed at times of peak demand,’’ the report said.

‘‘For example, people who are young and single may be looking for shared rental accommodation, while families with children may be looking for houses to buy.’’

Building new worker accommodation could provide training opportunities for workers ahead of the upcoming major projects, however using the existing building stock would avoid adding to demand for construction workers, the report said.

That could include using places already set up for accommodation, such as outdoor education centres or scout camps, or it could mean converting commercial or industrial buildings, or holiday homes that are mostly empty in the off season.

Tiny homes were another option, although there was not clear national legislation yet