Transforming Workforce Wellbeing in Construction & Infrastructure

Addressing Labour Shortages and Enhancing Leadership

The construction and infrastructure sector in New Zealand is facing a critical shortage of skilled workers, with an urgent need for an additional 157,490 workers by 2027 to meet national infrastructure goals. In response, a pioneering project led by Martin Jenkins, in partnership with Waihanga Ara Rau and ConCOVE, is setting a new direction for workforce support — embedding culturally responsive needs-based care and strengthening leadership capabilities across the sector.

Why This Matters

• Persistent labour shortages, an ageing workforce, and high dropout rates — especially among Māori, Pacific peoples, and early-career workers — are threatening the sector’s productivity and growth.
• Current workplace support systems are fragmented and under-resourced, leading to poor retention and low apprenticeship completions.
• Without change, the sector risks falling short on delivering the nation’s infrastructure needs and building a diverse, sustainable workforce.

Our Solution: Practical, Evidence-Based Change

This transformative project synthesises existing research and sector input to deliver the following key resources:

• Insights Report: A comprehensive report of pastoral care needs and challenges.
• Insights Summary: An overview of the above report.
• Worker Support Toolkit: Practical, user-friendly resources for employers to improve workforce support immediately.
• Capability Roadmap: A plan to fill gaps and embed long-term transformational change.

Built with the Sector, For the Sector

• Developed in collaboration with government, industry leaders, and education providers.
• Culturally responsive and inclusive, addressing needs of diverse workers including women, migrants, and tangata whaikaha.
• Focused on real-world approaches grounded in behavioural insights and evidence.

How You Can Get Involved

• Explore and adopt the pastoral care worker support toolkit.
• Collaborate with peers and policymakers to embed best practices.
• Prioritise pastoral care as central to workforce development and operational success.

Together, we can build a resilient, skilled, and diverse construction and infrastructure workforce ready for the challenges ahead.

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE EDITABLE WORKER SUPPORT TOOLKIT (ABOVE) WHICH YOU CAN USE IN YOUR WORKPLACE TODAY!