Offering help: the Ministry of Social Development and Marlborough viticulture industry 2007-40.1

When Janine Dowding became Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ)’s Regional Operations Manager in the Nelson Region in 1998, she was “astounded by the seasonal issues we dealt with.” The office was responsible for delivering services across the upper South Island: Nelson, Marlborough and the West Coast. The economy of each region depended heavily on industries with high seasonal labour needs, such as horticulture, viticulture, fishing and tourism. Yet employers such as orchardists had difficulty finding 100 fruit-pickers at the peak of the season, when as many as 5,000 workers were required. A seasonal labour co-ordination service was established, and Dowding now wondered whether the Ministry of Social Development could now help in the adjacent Marlborough region as well. Dowding admitted that “In helping Marlborough’s viticulture industry tackle its seasonal labour shortages, MSD was “definitely stepping into an area that was not our traditional business.”

This case is a variant on the case 2007-39.1 and incorporates background from the case 72.1 so can be used as a stand-alone case. It deals with aspects of the Ministry of Social Development’s move from a transactions to an outcomes focus. This case can be used to demonstrate how the outcomes focus works in practice.