MP's early plea for New Year's resolution

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 28, 10 December 1984, Page 1

MP's early plea for New Year's resolution

By

Mark

Casey

A New Year's resolution to make a personal contribution towards full employment in our communities — that is the new deputy leader of the Opposition, Mr Jim Bolger's appeal to the people of the Waimarino.

In an exclusive letter to the Waimarino Bulletin, Mr Bolger addresses his electorate on what he describes as "the major social issue confronting the developed world today" — unemployment. The Labour Government has "lost confidence in traditional farming," he believes, despite "the fact ... grassland farming will remain the largest and most essential component of New Zealand agriculture for decades ahead." The employment potential of the tourism industry, Mr Bolger says, should encourage us to 'sell' New Zealand vigorously overseas as a prime tourist destination. He cites the development which followed the opening up of the Turoa Skifield as a "graphic example" of a tourism-related increase in employment. For the full text of this challenging letter, turn to Page 2. The Bulletin also received a telephoned statement from

Mr Noel Scott, MP for Tongariro and convenor of the Caucus Gommittee on Transition Education. The following is an edited version of that statement. "The committee's work is one part of the government 's drive to tackle the problem of unemployment. "Its major objective is the makingof recommendations to the Ministers of Education and Employment on how to implement Labour's policy of ensuring that all school leavers who fail to find employment in their first year after leaving school will have access to full education and training for that period. "The Committee is seeking to provide a wide range of training opportunities based on local needs and, as far as is practicable, under the control of the local community. The Committee believes there is strong evidence of the need for a community to coordinate the activity of the various agencies in the training and employment area. "On several points the

committee has reached agreement: • It is imperative that the terms 'work' and 'employment' are much more widely interpreted to allow for nontraditional alternatives. • It is essential to fully recognise regional differences. • There is need for a change in status for young people who do not proceed to traditional paid employment or a recognised form of training. They should not be labelled as unemployed and treated as second class citizens. "It is expected that pilot schemes will be in place following the Employment Promotion Conference early in 1985 and the Committee is looking at a national proposal for 1986."