Budget 2013: Māori Affairs cadetships to be expanded

Budget 2013 has provided more funding towards the highly successful Māori Affairs cadetship programme, which has supported more Māori into jobs and kept them there.

“We established this programme in 2009 to address Māori unemployment, and to provide Māori new to the workforce - or those with low qualifications - the opportunity to gain work experience and formal qualifications as a means of enhancing employment outcomes,” Māori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples says.

“The programme has yielded some excellent results showing that 87 per cent of people who participated remained in employment after the cadetship had ended, and 9 per cent went on to further study.”

Budget 2013 has provided an additional $4 million over four years to the cadetship programme, which will extend the current scheme by an additional 100 places a year for the next four years. This will take the annual number of cadets from 250 to 350 placements.

Although the programme is still in its infancy, early results confirm the cadetships are a viable means of supporting young Māori into employment, Dr Sharples says.

“With Māori unemployment currently sitting at 13.9 per cent - more than double that of the rest of New Zealand - it is vital we have programmes that address this disparity.”

Cadetships are delivered by Te Puni Kōkiri, which partners with employers and industry groups in the growth areas of energy, infrastructure and telecommunications. Employers recruit, train mentor and provide at least six months’ paid employment to Māori cadets.