Gilmore Aaron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Gilmore Aaron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:672;Page:18641] 
6. 
AARON GILMORE (National) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: What assistance is the Government providing Christchurch to ensure the right skilled labour is available to help the city rebuild? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 The Prime Minister is at this moment announcing a comprehensive skills package for Christchurch of $42 million to help the city rebuild. As part of this we are increasing workforce skills with up to 3000 more construction-related training places in polytechs using existing funding. We are also providing an extra $42 million for 1500 additional funded places at polytechs private providers and industry training organisations as required and we are providing accelerated training programmes as well. 
Aaron Gilmore 
: What additional help is being provided from the Ministry of Social Development and Work and Income? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: This has been a real cross-agency focus which has been really important. So to assist trainees into work the Ministry of Social Development is providing additional skills brokers at industry training organisations to work with employers to place those who are actually in training. The Ministry of Social Development will also receive an extra $5 million in Budget 2011 to purchase further industry partnership placements to help those unemployed young people and older people take up job opportunities from the rebuild. In addition we are already spending $1.5 million helping those people in Christchurch into jobs as we speak. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: Would the skills training assistance package be necessary if during the last 2½ years this Government had not cut industry training numbers by over 4500 in the Canterbury region alone? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: What this Government has done over the last 2½ years is move some of that money into universities where people wanted to be. The member knows that. There were people who wanted to study at university; there were others who were studying in other areas. We have put the money where the demand was and where it was truly needed. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: I seek leave to table two documents showing the cut in industry trainees of over 4500. They are the Tertiary Education Commission industry training quarterly performance indicators December 2008 and September 2010. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table those documents. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Rahui Katene 
: What role have Maori played in working to create employment opportunities in Christchurch and what benefits will be directly available for young Maori seeking employment? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: There has been a lot of consultation particularly with Ngai Tahu and certainly Mark Solomon has been quite involved in that work. I might add that the member herself has been pretty pushy in making sure that we acknowledge young Maori people and employment opportunities there. Te Puni Kokiri will support at least 200 Maori in the Canterbury area to enter training and subsequently employment in the construction sector through the appointment of an agent to work with industry training organisations education providers and employers and of course with Maori themselves. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: Does this assistance to provide skilled labour extend to heating installers given that as far back as last year the Government committed to having 4500 emergency heating units installed in quake-damaged homes by winter that as of this week MPs were advised that only 1800 had been installed and that as a result of this thousands of Cantabrians are going to be battling through the winter living in cold damp and broken homes? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Yes.