North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Apprentices key, Little says
If immigration is needed to help fill a shortage of builders, it must be balanced with local apprenticeships, according to Labour Party leader Andrew Little.
Little addressed 320 people on the North Shore last Wednesday, outlining his policies to improve housing, youth unemployment, education and health.
In what was billed as a speech on the ‘‘State of the North Shore’’, the talk was slim on specifics for the area. Little dodged questions about Auckland’s transport and rail to the Shore, saying policies on Auckland would be released in about three weeks’ time.
But what he was clear on was the cost of housing, which had skyrocketed on the Shore, meaning places were unaffordable to both buy and rent.
‘‘If there’s one area that knows this, it’s the North Shore: we have a chronic shortage of housing,’’ he said.
Little reiterated Labour’s policy to build 100,000 homes over 10 years, with half being built in Auckland. When questioned how that would be possible, Little said the building workforce would need to expand by about 7000 people.
New apprenticeships would help build that workforce but skilled immigration would also be needed, he said. However, each time a building company employed an immigrant, under Labour’s ‘‘Kiwi Build’’ visa, they would have to take on an apprentice.
A key theme of the night was young people and youth unemployment, with Little talking about Labour’s plans to help the 90,000 18 to 24-year-olds who were not in employment or training. Unemployed youth would be guaranteed paid community work and help with things like driver’s licences, he said.
Little also promised to professionalise career advice in schools, so young people could be guided down the path of a worthy career.
The audience cheered when he said a registered nurse would be put into each high school, to help make a difference in youth mental health.
Little also repeated Labour’s plans to set up eight pilot sites around the country, where people with a mental health condition would get free GP visits and a referral to a mental health coordinator.
His speech, and introduction by Labour’s deputy leader Jacinda Ardern, was well received by crowd of mainly Labour supporters.