New Zealand’s biggest fishing fleet renewal project in four decades is creating career opportunities for young Māori looking to join the marine industry. Aotearoa Fisheries Limited, New Zealand’s largest iwi-owned fisheries business, has partnered with Nelson-based boat building company Aimex Service Group to build new technologically-advanced fishing vessels, with the first vessel hitting the water in August this year.
Aimex has recently undertaken a new Māori Youth Development Programme, designed specifically to give young Māori the opportunity to gain hands-on experience of the Marine Engineering industry.
Māori students will have the chance to learn a variety of skill sets such as Heavy Diesel Mechanical, Fabrication, Fitting and Diagnostics, Hydraulics, Engine
Reconditioning, Machining, Shipwright Services, Engine Sales and Parts Procurement.
They will enter a staged programme on the Aimex site in Nelson that will be managed by Ārewa, a locally Māori-owned and operated company that support Maori to develop their own capability and potential.
Aotearoa Fisheries CEO Carl Carrington says the company is proud to partner with Aimex in a project that will create jobs and economic opportunities for young Māori.
“As New Zealand’s largest iwi-owned fisheries business, we have a strong commitment to investing in improved outcomes for Māori,” Carrington says.