Call me Tradie
Development West Coast (DWC) chief executive Heath Milne says the shortage of skilled tradespeople in the region has been compounded by the recent building boom.
Workloads for the West Coast construction industry are growing significantly. According to Infometrics data, the March quarter saw a 45.2 per cent increase in residential consents and a 44.4 per cent increase in non-residential consents on the West Coast, both well above the national averages.
“There are a number of great initiatives in the region to support apprenticeships and upskilling in the trades, such as DWC’s Upskill programme and the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs in Buller, Grey and Westland,” Mr Milne says.
“These programmes are all incredibly important for building capabilities on the Coast, but it will take time. Apprenticeships can take four to five years.”
To encourage tradespeople to move to the West Coast, DWC teamed up with Radio Hauraki's Jeremy Wells, Matt Heath and Mike Lane for the ‘Call me Tradie’ campaign in the build up to Hauraki's ‘Party in the Mouth 2021’ event in Greymouth.
'We love the West Coast here at Hauraki,” says content director Mike Lane.
“We saw it as a good opportunity to tell Hauraki listeners and fellow great New Zealanders that the Coast is busy, has opportunities and is looking for good people via our Call me Tradie promotion.”
Over a two-week period, the campaign generated awareness around the shortage of skilled tradespeople on the West Coast while showcasing some of the great things about living on the Coast.
Two tradies and their partners also had the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to the West Coast.
Connor Smith from Auckland won a trip to the Northern West Coast, where he and partner Isla will be visiting Underworld Adventures and staying at Bella Vista in Westport, before heading down to Punakaiki and staying at Bella Vista in Greymouth.
Andrew and Kate won a trip to Westland, where they will visit the West Coast TreeTop Walk and Café in Hokitika, and then head down to Franz Josef to stay at the Rainforest Retreat and take a flight with Glacier Country Scenic Flights. They will also travel to Greymouth to stay at Bella Vista.
On 3 July the tradies will join Matt, Jerry, Mike Lane and the Hauraki team at Speights Ale House in Greymouth for the ‘Party in the Mouth 2021’.
Jerry, Andrew, Kate and Leslie Heath at the Party in the Mouth 2021