Today, Tim Fowler, TEC Chief Executive and Michelle Glogau, PICA Chief Executive signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signalling a commitment to strengthen the relationship between the two organisations and those they represent, share data and research, align their engagement with learners and promote study and career opportunities in the primary sectors. 

“The MOU strengthens our existing relationship and formalises an expectation to collaborate more closely in areas of mutual benefit. It will only enhance our collective efforts to achieve our shared goal - the goal of attracting and retaining a talented, diverse and skilled workforce for our primary sectors to thrive. By joining forces, we can achieve far more, more quickly, than any one of us can individually,” says PICA’s Chief Executive Michelle Glogau.

“The primary sectors are the backbone of New Zealand’s economy and a significant employer – employing one-in-seven people and one-in-three in some regions – yet needs thousands more skilled workers to drive its continued evolution and success,” says TEC’s Chief Executive Tim Fowler. 

“TEC’s partnership with PICA will allow us to expand our role of financing the sector to partnering with industry to better meet their needs, along with promoting the primary sector as a viable and attractive career option – spanning innovative fields like robotics and food technology,” he adds.

New Zealand’s primary sectors have a huge impact on New Zealand’s productivity, economy, and social wellbeing. Not only do these sectors provide for around 4.5 million New Zealanders, they contribute exports that sustain millions more people globally.

“Building sustainability in our primary sectors, while innovating to meet changing customer expectations is a challenge. Together TEC and PICA can now amplify our efforts to attract and retain people with diverse skills to meet this challenge head-on,” says Tim Fowler.