Helping grow NZ's infrastructure workforce: MoU expanded
14 November 2023.
In early November, the ink dried on an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between MSD and New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). The agreement sets in stone the approach the two agencies will take to achieve quality employment outcomes (one of the legislated Broader Outcomes) on all major infrastructure projects.
Prepared by MSD's Industry Partnerships team and NZTA's Broader Outcomes team, the revamped MoU extends the partnership beyond just the New Zealand Upgrade Programme, so that it now includes NZTA's Cyclone recovery and rebuild efforts. It allows MSD to align our partnerships, programmes, products, and services at the early stages of an infrastructure project and prepare local workforces for project-specific roles.
The first MoU was signed in 2021, and the way of working together was tested during the Te Ahu a Turanga | Manawatū to Tararua Highway construction. Because MSD were brought in at a procurement stage for the highway build, our training provider partners got the chance to deliver excavation pre-employment training and ready-to-work courses focussed on native planting. The training was designed and aligned with the construction of the highway, meaning 50 people moved into employment during the lifecycle of the project.
