Limited knowledge of the electricity sector.
What became evident through the research was that rangatahi (young Māori) have a limited understanding of the electricity sector in general, and little to no understanding of the range of career pathways in the sector. Furthermore, those that were currently training noted that they had no prior knowledge of the industry before enrolling, and it was more by chance that they ended up studying for the qualification.
Male dominated industry.
The females we spoke with shared their perceptions and experiences of the industry being male dominated, and at times the environment being uncomfortable for them to be a part of. They noted the lack of female leadership and role models, and of the sheer lack of representation of Māori in the workforce, which creates feelings of isolation.
Sustainability.
Throughout the interviews, rangatahi told us that sustainability and environmentally friendly practices were essential to the kind of organisations they wanted to be a part of:
“We’re in that movement of the climate change. We… need to highlight the sustainable energy because that would also be a really great selling point for a lot of this generation to be inspired to be a part of that movement as well.” Rangatahi
High job satisfaction and boundless potential.
The Māori staff we spoke with shared with us their positive experiences of being in the industry, the value in the mahi and the remuneration of the hard work. Maori staff also noted that once you are in the industry, progression is relatively straight forward and so too is job stability and variety – there is plenty of work in the sector and plenty of different kinds of specialty areas you can work within.
MPTT Pre-electrical courses are enjoyable, kickstart careers and provide a rich resource of potential Māori talent to the industry.
MPPT pre-electrical courses provide a rich resource of potential Māori talent to the industry. Students noted that by completing the pre-trade course, they were set up to enter the industry with a solid baseline of knowledge. The Māori MPTT learners we spoke with who were currently studying electrical engineering at polytechnic, spoke highly of the course material, the tutors and the balance between theory and practice.
Māori student cohorts.
The learners commented on the strength of studying together as a Māori cohort and the impact this has on their learning.
Most Māori males successfully complete apprenticeships.
Emerging data indicates that for Māori males, successful completions of apprenticeships are high (around 90%), and are likely higher than for many other trades. The same data, however, indicates a much lower completion rate for Māori women. More research is needed to validate these findings, to consider what factors are leading to the success of Māori males, and explore how this might be replicated with Māori women.
Lack of work experience and apprenticeship opportunities.
The current MPTT trainees interviewed told us that getting work experience is tough, and that not many companies are willing to take them on as work experience students. Further to the work experience barriers, the MPTT tauira (students) also told us that finding an employer who is willing to take them on as an apprentice is challenging. The MPTT Evaluation (2017) found only 10% of MPTT students and only 6% of other students went on to gain apprenticeships in the industry.
Companies are keen to hire more Māori.
One of the participants noted the shift in Māori staff he had observed over the years. He described that “Historically, from my time, it was mostly Māori (in the industry)”. Now what he perceived was a reduced number of Māori in the trade because “the numbers who have come to us are mostly Pākehā.” Further he went on to note:
“I think we are very welcoming (to Māori), but they are just not knocking on our door. I’d definitely take on more Māori in a heartbeat.” Manager
Companies are keen to hire more women.
Women are a minority in the electricity sector; however, based on the insights from our interviews, the participants acknowledge that there is a willingness across the industry for more Māori and more women:
“I think females would be like a breath of fresh air.” Manager
Moving to bicultural workplaces.
Further to the goodwill to hire more Māori and to encourage women into the industry, an employer spoke to us about creating workplace cultures that reflect the bicultural nature of this country and the need to embed the Treaty of Waitangi into their organisation as a way of addressing equity in the workplace.
“I’m embedding it at the moment, I know what I want to achieve, haven’t got to the end point yet but I’m giving it a crack and we’ll get there hopefully. I’m actually putting it in all my documentation in all different areas. So, whether that’s the induction, the HR, safety, how we conduct ourselves, code of conduct, all that stuff.” Manager
Tikanga Māori has an important role in the workplace.
The current MPTT trainees interviewed told us that getting work experience is tough, and that not many companies are willing to take them on as work experience students. Further to the work experience barriers, the MPTT tauira (students) also told us that finding an employer who is willing to take them on as an apprentice is challenging. The MPTT Evaluation (2017) found only 10% of MPTT students and only 6% of other students went on to gain apprenticeships in the industry.
Community partnerships.
There are already great examples of community engagement as a way to reach more Māori. Genesis Energy, for example, has created a programme focused on the communities where they generate electricity. Their Pou Hāpori Community Liaison Manager explains: “Ngā Ara – Creating Pathways’, is about inspiring young people to become the energy innovators of the future. It aims to give the communities a head-start to fill these future roles with local people and is focused on rangatahi Māori and females. It brings together many organisations collaborating for a common goal.
We can learn from other industries.
Hawkins (Construction) found: “Workplace mentors are crucial to supporting apprentices. We then worked with multiple partners, including schools, iwi and businesses, to create a pipeline for trainees. Once accepted into our programme, successful applicants are matched with an experienced and passionate Hawkins mentor (generally Māori or Pasifika) who offers support and encouragement. Of the trainees, 20% are women which is a leading statistic considering across the construction industry only 3% are female.”
