Migrant Pathways More Good News for Trades

The creation of the Trades and Technician pathway follows recent announcements about boosting trades as a career option in an overhaul of secondary school education.

MTA Head of Advocacy James McDowall says MTA has called for and worked with Government on improved access for trades for almost a year.

“We told Government that it is essential to recognise that trades are skilled professions,” Dr McDowall says.

“These roles have long deserved more recognition for the expertise and technical skill they require and the Skilled Migrant Category needed to be fixed to address this.

“Today is a good day for trades and follows similar good news about steps to encourage secondary school students to consider trades as a career.”

Dr McDowall says the automotive industry – which according to NZIER produces $6.8 billion (1.9%) of Gross Domestic Product – is growing and needs more workers to deliver that growth.

“It is a shame we have to wait until mid-2026 for the changes to kick in,” Dr McDowall says.

“That said, knowing it’s coming gives certainty to employers and migrants already here, who are working towards residency.”

MTA has long said that many businesses want to develop and hire local workers. But the reality is, that overseas workers have an important role to play in filling gaps and relieving the strain on employers.

“Now with the certainty that automotive training body MITO is returning to industry, trades getting appropriate recognition in the curriculum and today’s announcement, both sides of the equation are being addressed,” Dr McDowall says.

“It also goes a long way to dispel the dated trope that trades are a second-rate career compared to white collar roles.

“The truth is – tradespeople make a massive contribution to this country and always will.”