Launch of ESITO's 'Women in Power' Brand

I’m very pleased to be here tonight to recognise this important milestone and to join my colleague Hon Jo Goodhew in congratulating ESITO on the success of the ‘Women in Power’ initiative so far, and now the launch of phase two, Ultimit.

The future of the electricity sector is an exciting one.  ESITO’s role is crucial to ensuring that the sector has the skilled workers it needs to support business growth, not to mention keep powering New Zealand homes and enable our increasingly digital lifestyles.

Providing high-quality training and qualifications enables workers to feel confident of their skills and their futures when they enter the workforce, to take opportunities to build their skills, and through this contribute to safer and more productive workplaces. 

One of the key ways to address current and future workforce needs is increasing the number of women in technical roles in the sector and eliminate any barriers to that.

It’s all about changing perceptions, from schools through to workplaces, and about designing fit-for-purpose electricity networks.

Innovation is a core focus for this Government and is an important part of addressing future issues, such as low numbers of trainees, the aging workforce and changing skills requirements. This is particularly important  as the number of wind and geothermal generation plants increases.

Ultimit is an example of change in action right now and of what our future could be. It is a great initiative that is showing the sector that women already do the job, safely and well.

Having heard from women who have already benefited from Women in Power I’m very optimistic for the future benefits for us all.

With initiatives like Ultimit and the efforts of ESITO and the support of the partner electricity companies – Northpower, Electrix, Mighty River, Contact Energy - I believe we can have a very different industry moving forward.

Congratulations ESITO, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the industry partners on all their hard work on the ‘Women in Power’ project. Its continued success and growth is a great thing for New Zealand’s energy future.