Thames-Coromandel hits 100% strike rate for youth employment initiative

Tuesday, 28 July 2026

Thames-Coromandel accepted 30 referrals for the area’s Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs initiative last year.

All 30 walked out with employment, joining Kaikoura District Council as the only two out of 33 to achieve a 100% strike rate.

The taskforce, a nationwide initiative aimed to help young people aged 16-25 into the workforce, is facilitated by Local Government New Zealand, local councils and the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).

Thames-Coromandel’s programme is run by community partnerships co-ordinator Helen Flynn, who described the job as creating “life-changing stories” for some by providing local work for local people.

“If you're born and bred in Whangamatā or Thames, it's a barrier to move out of your home-town for your first job,” she said.

She boiled down the success to the initiative's partnership with Ngāti Maru Rununga as well as the local MSD.

'Their [Ngāti Maru Rununga] relationships with both the local rangatahi but also with local employers is one part of it… the second part is our relationships with our council contractors and our local MSD.'

'That's what's made the difference here is our local connections and relationships.'

The achievement is magnified by an ever increasing job market for young New Zealanders, which is nearing 15% nationally.

Mayors Taskforce for Jobs chair and Gore District Council mayor Ben Bell said any completion rate higher than 33-50% is 'really exceptional', adding it highlights the willingness of both employers and employees in the region.

'It's really inspiring… it helps getting the young person into a job opportunity, gives them that skill and experience they otherwise wouldn't have and quite often keeps them off the benefit even if they don't stay in that job forever.

A rise in experienced workers seeking entry-level jobs further makes Thames-Coromandel’s success shinier, Bell says. He added in provincial areas where 'there aren't as many jobs around as there would be in big cities' the emphasis of inspiring young adults to work is paramount.

'It's really about empowering those young people who may live out of town or may not have access to a car or public transport to get into employment so they can build their lives from there.'

The tricky nature of the job market wasn’t lost on Flynn, who said they had to 'get creative' to get their youth into jobs. A prime example was the utilisation of MSD's flexi wage product, which can subsidise an employer's wages paid as well as funding needed training.

'What we found in our area is some of our employers are not aware of this so I'll go and meet with them with our MSD case-worker and talk about taking the risk out of employing a local job seeker.“

Getting into a new routine after leaving school helps curb the effects of social anxiety that’s increasingly prevalent in young people, Bell said.

'If they can get that social interaction through a job opportunity, they can really build their career from there and hopefully don't have to rely on welfare systems any more.'