The creation of a Seasonal Work Marketplace is a Job Summit initiative in response to the need for a more co-ordinated marketplace that will improve access by job seeker to seasonal work across industries.

Key benefits of such a marketplace are to provide work opportunities, greater certainty of work, job security, job retention, skill development and to raise productivity.

The Department of Labour as the lead agency, facilitated the bringing together of national industry and organisational leaders from Horticulture, Meat, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Tourism to form a National Leaders Group and to develop options for the initiative.

Progressing the initiative on a regional basis

Meetings of seasonal industry leaders and organisations were held in Hawkes Bay, Otago/Southland and Nelson/Marlborough regions to test the concept and establish local co-ordination roles. Venture Hawkes Bay will facilitate further work in Hawkes Bay, The Ministry of Social Development will coordinate meetings across Southland/Otago, and the Nelson Economic Development Agency will work to expand seasonal projects to include all seasonal industries in the region.

The Department will review the success of seasonal work activities and the co-operation across industries on sharing labour and skills.

Each region identified an organisation to champion on-going work on the initiative.