Blue Highway to opportunity for Maritime students
Caption: Transport Minister Michael Wood operating NZ Maritime School’s latest simulator under the watchful eye of Chief Mate Yacht GT3000 student Hamish Jackson-Hay.
Coastal shipping in Aotearoa New Zealand is heading for a phase of strong rejuvenation and students of New Zealand Maritime School are in a prime position to move into high skilled, well paid, locally-based careers as a result.
That was the message from Transport Minister Michael Wood when he visited last week to speak to learners, staff, union and industry representatives as well as tour the school’s world leading facilities.
“I was speaking to one senior leader in the sector last week,” Minister Wood said in his address. “He said the biggest problem they have at the moment is a good one, it’s finding enough skilled staff to meet the needs of the growth that’s about to hit us.”
His confidence is due to the Government’s recent investment of $30 million to fund coastal shipping through the National Land Transport Programme. The strategic investment is part of an overall plan to build a more resilient, sustainable and low carbon supply chain.
“The blue highway is one of the great untapped opportunities in the New Zealand freight system. The ability to move mostly non-time critical goods around the country in bulk quantities with low carbon is immense for our small country. There is work to do to get there,” he says.
The initial investment will assist four selected suppliers – Coastal Bulk Shipping, Move International, Swire Shipping NZ and Aotearoa Shipping Alliance – to each bring one additional vessel into operation, increasing capacity on coastal routes by 50 percent.
“A major challenge is boosting the skilled labour supply in New Zealand. We need to work through it collectively to support more people into the great careers in this sector. For me, over the coming year that will be the critical piece of work in the coastal shipping and maritime sector to make sure you’re well trained, well supported and you have everything you need to build your careers in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Following Minister Wood’s speech, students had the opportunity to ask him questions and speak about their experiences as they enter the sector or - in some cases - return to work here after time spent overseas. They raised the recognition of mandatory sea time and how this is calculated, as well as the need for incentives to attract them towards coastal routes with their skills also in high demand internationally.
“Our learners are very often experienced, having worked and studied offshore. So they know the systems in place elsewhere well,” says NZMS Head of School Rob Shaw. “They are the future of the industry. It was great to be able to welcome the Minister to give students a venue to speak openly to help shape the work that’s going on in the area.”
Afterwards, the Minister got the chance to operate the latest addition to New Zealand Maritime School’s Simulation Centre. The new technology makes New Zealand only the fourth country in the world to offer lifeboat training by simulation.
Caption: Minister Wood visits NZ Maritime School. (L-R) Manukau and City campus director Nuddy Pillay, Industry Engagement and Simulation manager Kees Buckens, Kaumatua Vince Hapi, Transport Minister Michael Wood, MIT and Unitec Chief Executive Gus Gilmore, NZMS Head of School Rob Shaw and NMIT Chief Executive Wayne Jackson.