Since 2019, the Ngā Puna Pūkenga skills for industry programme has supported more than 1000 Aucklanders into sustainable employment with contractors to Auckland Council through social procurement.
To celebrate this milestone, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and Minister of Social Development Louise Upston met with some of the programme’s industry partners at the Fulton Hogan-managed Watercare Waikōwhai worksite today.
“It makes perfect sense for Auckland Council to leverage its considerable purchasing power to support people in business who invest in the people that work for them. In the end, we all share in the economic and social benefits,” says Mayor Brown.
Under Ngā Puna Pūkenga, Auckland Council and MSD work in partnership with council contractors like Fulton Hogan and small-to-medium-sized industry employers to create newly established roles for people who face barriers to the employment market.
The business must provide permanent full-time employment and a living wage, with at least one year of training and workplace mentoring.
The Ngā Puna Pūkenga team, based within council, support these businesses with recruitment, onboarding and pastoral care, as well as MSD-funded training and wage subsidies.
Based on 1000 job placements, the programme has an impressive employment retention rate of 80% at two years. As of May 2024, 70% of the programme’s participants were still off benefits.
Ngā Puna Pūkenga began as a modest initiative in Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters team.
General Manager of Healthy Waters, Craig McIlroy says, “When we started this programme, the aim was to create 60 new jobs in the first year. We encouraged and supported council contractors that we worked with to take on people who were facing barriers to employment, particularly Māori and Pasifika, and young people.”
“Achieving more than 1000 job placements in five years has far exceeded our expectations. It’s humbling to be part of a programme that has changed people’s lives. The success of Ngā Puna Pūkenga means success for people in Auckland who have struggled to gain full-time employment or access to the support and training needed for skilled jobs.”
With the support of Mayor Brown and increased MSD funding of up to $3.8 million for the 2025 financial year, Ngā Puna Pūkenga is now being actively rolled-out across all of Auckland Council.
“We are thankful for the support of the Ministry of Social Development and its continued funding for Ngā Puna Pūkenga. This year, we have committed to achieving 300 employment outcomes putting 300 people into jobs, which is 100 more than last year,” says McIlroy.
“The sectors that Ngā Puna Pūkenga employees work in, such as infrastructure and construction, are helping to keep our region running effectively as it grows.”
MSD Director Industry Partnerships, Amanda Nicolle, reflects that when the right mechanisms are in place, local and central government working together can have significant impact.
“Over the past five years, Ngā Puna Pūkenga has been building a way of working across local and central government, and industry, that demonstrates how local initiatives with central funding can support individuals, suppliers of all sizes and communities to be better off. It is a model we are proud of,” says Nicolle.
The model for the programme, developed and refined by Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters team, is now being trialled by other city councils.
“Our Healthy Waters team has set the gold standard for social procurement in local government, and people are taking notice. The secret to this success is their hard work and aroha,” says Mayor Brown.
About Ngā Puna Pūkenga
For Ngā Puna Pūkenga, the goal is simple – to support Aucklanders into sustainable employment today, while building skills for tomorrow.
Ngā Puna Pūkenga partners with council contractors to create sustainable employment. This means getting people into work, keeping them in work, and providing opportunities for them to advance over time.
The programme creates sustainable employment for Aucklanders who may face barriers to the job market, including long-term unemployed, young people not in employment, education or training, Māori and Pasifika, and people with disabilities.
This year, eligibility expanded to include displaced workers, who have lost their jobs due to business closures or downsizing, and women in male-dominated industries like construction and transport.
The types of roles recruited reflect the types of goods, services and works procured by Auckland Council. They can range from entry-level labourer to quantity surveyor.
Under the programme, contractors to Auckland Council enter into an agreement with Ngā Puna Pūkenga to take on an employee in a newly created role.
In return, the Ngā Puna Pūkenga team provides tailored advice and support around recruitment, onboarding and skills development, including MSD-funded pre-employment and in-work training, wage subsidies, and pastoral care.
