NZ Seafood Industry welcomes new minister’s comments

Press Release by NZ Seafood Industry Council, 20 October 2005

The New Zealand Seafood Industry today welcomed comments made by the Hon Jim Anderton since his appointment as the new Minister of Fisheries and associate Minister of Tertiary Education.

Mr Anderton announced that he will ensure that the needs of industry are addressed through the courses and training being offered by tertiary institutions and that improvements in productivity and added value will pay off for the whole economy.

"We are keen to work with Mr Anderton in building up tertiary institutions capabilities to provide for the industry," says Barbara Johnsen, General Manager of the Seafood Industry Training Organisation (SITO).

Ms Johnsen also welcomed the appointment of Dr Cullen as Minister of Tertiary Education.

"The seafood industry will be pleased that the importance of the industry to the New Zealand economy has been recognised by the Prime Minister in her appointment of two highly ranked ministers to areas that are crucial to our industry," Ms Johnsen said. Dr Cullen is ranked second and Mr Anderton is ranked third in Cabinet.

Work-place training is important for our industry, said Ms Johnsen. "SITO plays a vital part in facilitating appropriate learning and training to up-skill our workers to meet industry needs, which will have positive spin-offs for the wider economy."

"The seafood industry strongly supports its Industry Training Organisation and we look forward to working with the new ministers to ensure optimal provision of education and training for the industry."

The seafood industry is New Zealand's fifth largest exporter, employing 26,000 people, and the industry has a strong commitment to training and its employees. A critical issue for the industry is that all parts of the tertiary education sector need to come together to supply the appropriate type of training to meet industry requirements.