SpeechANGELA ROBERTS (Labour): Kia ora Mr Speaker. We've heard a lot this afternoon—quite rightly too—about some of the fantastic achievements and what this Government has done in building a well-trained workforce that's going to take us into a bright future. Mana in Mahi the Apprenticeship Boost Mayors Taskforce for Jobs He Poutama Rangatahi—a suite of initiatives that means our response to building our workforce has been nimble innovative successful and will be sustained. Why? Because these projects are collaborative—innately collaborative—and they're evidence informed. And they've been focused on our workers—our young people; all workers—but also their employers and their mana and that is the critical bit. We've heard all the stunning numbers: low unemployment and all the rest. But actually I just want to bring us down to some of the real stories because there's the powerful bit that reminds us that what we are doing is working and it's worth pursuing.So I just want to talk about one of our local plumbers—Shane Gardiner and his wife Julie—and Joshua Hopkins who's their young apprentice. When you talk to Joshua the mana that he exudes—his pride in his work is really really obvious. He is excited about his future and so is his boss. The interesting thing is his boss didn't just get support to pay his wages—which reduced you know the risk and the investment that was required—but they noticed they recognised that they both needed him to be safe and productive. So he got to when he first started out do a digger course—Wheels Tracks and Rollers; I want to go there—and also working at heights. And what that meant is that both Josh and Shane were really quickly able to recognise and utilise his productivity and his mana was enhanced because of that. It isn't just high-vis vests. I just need to acknowledge there are hairdressers out there who have done it tough in the last couple of years; really tough. We've got hairdressers who have not only been able to take on apprentices because of the additional support but expand their premises. If you even need a haircut in Te Awamutu Kirsty Butler has got room for you because she's been able to take on another apprentice. Also the opportunities you see when you speak to people who are supporting especially our young people with collaborative initiatives—I've just been down to Feats Pae Tawhiti and their forestry foundation skills course. These young people—they put more than 50 through—I've met them the last cohort just as they were about to graduate and their excitement about going out and finding a job in forestry was wonderful. But it was more than just preparing them to use a chainsaw safely. There was tikanga and Te Ao Māori that was brought into it; mātauranga Māori that really helped to wrap around and lift these young people—the way they stood in support of each other as they gave their pepeha as they tautoko each other with their waiata and their haka. Their mana was enhanced and makes them more productive and better workers but also their ability to stand up and grab the world and the future is obvious because of that wraparound. It isn't just about throwing cash at them; it is about supporting them and bringing all of the expertise to wrap around them. It's really really powerful stuff to watch. I guess just the third thing about the suite of initiatives that we support in this Government is how innovative you see local communities being able to be. We're really proud in Taranaki to have really committed to Predator Free 2050 and we have got apprentices who are learning how to be Kiwi handlers and Kiwi rangers. So we've got Leighwae at the East Taranaki Environment Trust and we've got the Taranaki Kiwi Trust who've got Maia. And these young people who in combination with the Western Institute of Technology the local polytech—here they come up again; they're rock stars today—and the way that they are able to help us build this booming conservation industry. So I'm really proud to acknowledge the huge support that has gone on across the country to build a workforce that is going to take us into the future.