One of the Ministry's (Ministry for Women) priorities is to encourage women and girls to train and work in occupations where high-growth is projected and where women are currently under-represented.  This includes fields such as construction and trades, engineering and ICT.

After the Canterbury earthquakes in 2010 and 2011,  the Ministry’s undertook research to find out why women’s labour force participation was so badly impacted and why, given the demand for labour, women were not participating in the rebuild.. This research report ‘Building back better: Utilising women’s labour in the Canterbury rebuild’  published in August 2013 showed women wanted to work, were available, and were not opposed to working in the rebuild. The research formed the basis of a partnership between the Ministry for Women and local training organisations and employers in Canterbury with the aim of increasing the number of women in trades.

This work has led to more women training in Canterbury for trades and more women working in construction. The handbook shares the lessons we have learned about what works to better utilise women’s labour in trades.

Click here to read more or click here to download the handbook