8. JACINDA ARDERN (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery
Does he stand by the Prime Minister’s statement in relation to Christchurch that “it looks like the residential rebuild alone will require up to 12,500 full-time workers”, if not, how many full-time workers does he believe will now be needed?
Does he believe that his Government’s trades training package announced last week, with new funding for 1,500 training places in Christchurch, will be enough to meet reconstruction demands?
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON Link to this
What I would say is that it is too early in the cycle to know the numbers precisely. The 12,500 figure is the best estimate at this point, but I can tell the member that the Department of Building and Housing says it will have a better idea of what the real number will be as the Earthquake Commission finishes the insurance assessments process. Secondly, the 12,500 workers required will not come just from new trainees. They will come from people who have been in the construction workforce, have exited, but will come back in, they will come from outside of the Canterbury region, and they may also come from an opening up of the immigration system to allow in workers from elsewhere. No one knows what those numbers are, and until the process goes a little further down the stream, no one will know the exact requirement.
Will the Minister guarantee that overseas labour will not be imported to fill any projected shortfall in workers for the Christchurch rebuild?
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON Link to this
It would be foolish to make any guarantees about this. There are too many unknowns. Too much of this is imprecise. It will probably be 2 to 4 years before the peak of the rebuilding occurs, and therefore it is impossible to know whether we will be able to fill the shortfall. But the package announced this week as part of the Budget—the $42 million for trades training and the 3,000 more construction-related training places at polytechnics in Canterbury—is a very good start to gear up for the process. I can assure the member that the Government will keep a watching brief, and as the demand grows, so will the supply of workers.
Has he seen Tertiary Education Commission reports that show that under his Government the number of building and construction trainees has dropped by over 2,000, and, as such, does not this package, at best, correct the shortfall that already existed before the earthquake?
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON Link to this
I think a question like that would be way better put to the Minister for Tertiary Education, because I would be floundering if I tried to answer it. [ Interruption]
Mr SPEAKER
Hon Lianne Dalziel Link to this
Will he ensure that all Government-led Christchurch reconstruction contracts require contractors to take on local apprentices so that they can be fully trained in time to benefit from the expected peak in activity in 2 to 4 years’ time?
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON Link to this
I think that taking on local apprentices and doing training would certainly be a key factor that would be taken into consideration as part of letting a contract—yes, I do.
Hon Phil GoffIn the 8 months since the 4 September earthquake, how many new trainees or apprentices have been taken on so far specifically to meet the huge demand that will exist because of the need for reconstruction of 10,000 houses?
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON Link to this
I give the same answer as before. I am answering this question on behalf of the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery; I am actually the Minister for Building and Construction. I think it is the Minister for Tertiary Education that that question should be put to.