The Jobs Letter No.254 Trustees

Jim Anderton
Bob Austin
Alister Barry
Geoff Bascand
David Benson-Pope
Sue Bradford
Jenny Brash
Paul Callister
Geoff Chapple
Peter Conway
Margaret Crozier
Paul Dalziel
Graeme Dingle
Denise Eaglesome
Brian Easton
Anne Else
Trevor Gray
Nicky Hager
Darel Hall
Grifen Hope
Parekura Horomia
Jo Howard
Gordon Hudson
Hugh Hughes
Peter Hughes
vivian Hutchinson
Lindsay Jeffs
Jane Kelsey
Peter McCardle
Judy McGregor
Lindsay Mitchell
Garry Moore
Sandi Morrison
Dave Owens
Ian Ritchie
Brigid Ryan
Ron Sharp
Yvonne Sharpe
Rodger Smith
Susan St John
Wally Stone
Roger Tweedy
Janfrie Wakim
Ross Wilson
Donna Wynd

ON THE JOBS LETTER

You have made a huge contribution to so many during The Jobs Letter’s lifetime. It was the only voice that was accessible and courageous. You made complex data digestible and you provided the nearest thing to what many community people could call ‘professional development’. I believe you have had one of the few roles of monitoring social and economic consequences in NZ since the NZ Planning Council disbanded. My good wishes to you in your future endeavours.
— Hilary Allison

I would like to close with a salute to The Jobs Letter team for being there for people during the last 12 years. Many of these years were bleak. I am glad you leave with good times, and hopefully, with effort and perseverance, even better times are ahead. I wish you all the best in your future projects and endeavours.
— Jim Anderton

It is sad that all our efforts at local, regional and national levels to fight poverty and unemployment are wiped out every few years by the Reserve Bank and yet we were never able to organize ourselves politically to stop it.
— Alister Barry

This must be a celebration for having worked yourselves out of this particular job! A huge thank you to The Jobs Letter for its persistent and passionate belief that unemployment should be eliminated, and for its superb contribution to the community. It is a great reminder to those of us in a similar business that disseminating high quality and relevant information is important. The Jobs Letter has been a must-read of mine for many years and I will miss it greatly.
— Geoff Bascand

We’ve achieved a lot, but there’s more to do. We will continue to make real progress through working in partnership with business and employers, with iwi and community groups and with non-government organisations.
Government has a key role to play in building a strong economy and a strong society, but it’s not a job for us alone. We highly value our partnerships with people and organisations across New Zealand’s diverse and growing society.
— David Benson-Pope

I would like to thank the members of the Jobs Research Trust for all the work they have done over the last 12 years in providing an invaluable resource for all of us who work in the area of employment and welfare. You have done an amazing job and I will miss The Jobs Letter tremendously.
— Sue Bradford

I am very sad that this is the last issue of the The Jobs Letter. I congratulate and thank most sincerely Vivian, Dave, and The Jobs Letter team who have produced a very professional, very readable and very useful newsletter every 2 weeks for many years. It provided very valuable information and commentary for me and my Council on current employment issues that we needed to know about and to think about! Issues discussed were always topical and very relevant. You have made a huge contribution to reducing unemployment in your own right by ensuring we as readers of the Jobs Newsletter were kept informed. Thank you again and best wishes to you all.
— Jenny Brash

The Jobs Letter began when unemployment was a very worrying feature of New Zealand life. In a balanced way, the letter played an important part in helping a wide range of New Zealanders understand the problems that were then facing employers, employees, the unemployed and the government. All those involved in The Jobs Letter can take some credit for the gains we have made since this difficult period.
— Paul Callister

It interests me that we formed Te Araroa Trust in 1994, within a month of The Jobs Letter’s first publication. We were all concerned then about unemployment. Our trust had a vision of Te Araroa being constructed quickly, with black singlets massed along its length. The unemployed would work alongside politicians to do the job. It didn’t happen. Nothing happens quickly nor quite according to plan, but we’re still here, still doing it. As it segues to another form, I salute the Jobs Research Trust and its Jobs Letter, which was a beacon. I know its people will keep doing it, in whatever form.
— Geoff Chapple

It’s been a great newsletter. Networks matter. Open exchange of views is vital. Sometimes a complacency creeps in around employment when we have low levels of unemployment by historical standards. I remember in March 2000 when Westpac said that 6.3% unemployment was “worryingly low”. They were worried about wages and inflation — but it shows the problems that occur when (say) monetary policy becomes the main focus — rather than decent jobs and full employment. So — those in the union movement — along with readers of The Jobs Letter will need to keep the focus on jobs going.
— Peter Conway

Heartfelt thanks to The Jobs Letter team for keeping a spotlight on the issues of employment while economic policies have fluctuated between action and neglect. You communicated speedily and thoughtfully in a way that was accessible to a wide group of interested parties: local authorities, community projects, iwi, government employees, politicians and unemployed people. You kept an eye on the global picture and you fed the local networking which allowed us to share our thinking and be encouraged by the responses of others round the country.
There is still work to be done. What will you do next? Kia kaha!
— Margaret Crozier

Thank you for all the time and energy you have all put into The Jobs Letter. It set a new benchmark of quality, clear accurate reporting, a watching/ tracking role on the issue of unemployment, great resources and commentary, and such a wide ranging distribution. 12 years is a long time to have been holding that role. I support you taking time to rest and review, as well as fully celebrating the many gains of the past 12 years. And of course I want to be kept in touch with what emerges from that considering.
— Elaine Dyer

Implicit in this brief review is an agenda for further work. It is sad that The Jobs Letter won’t be there to think about it, as it has been pursuing the earlier agenda set by the trauma of the 1987-1993 period. Who will?
— Brian Easton

I want to thank The Jobs Letter team for the outstanding contribution you have made to ensuring that the New Zealand public is better informed and encouraged to think and talk about these important issues. As a freelance commentator, I will miss The Jobs Letter immensely.
— Anne Else

I just wanted to say how much I will miss The Jobs Letter, it was always informative, thought provoking, unbiased, and a great read. I think that Aotearoa will be the lesser for its passing as there is no other publication that comes close to keeping those working in the employment sector up to date with what is happening in our world. A big thank you to the Jobs Letter team, we do owe you heaps for your commitment. — Elaine Gill

We have been immensely privileged to be provided for on a regular basis, through thick and thin and for no cost, the magnificent publication called The Jobs Letter. It has informed, advised, connected, challenged and inspired us in a variety of ways that have sparked innumerable acts of good and it mostly never received credit for. Nothing can replace it nor should. Thanks vivian, Dave and Sue and many others I don’t know of who have consistently made the daily bread and to Rodger and Jo who joined them as Trustees to provide wise and humble voluntary guidance to this unique phenomenon.
— Trevor Gray

I hope you’re all feeling good about your efforts over the last 12 years. Congratulations from an irregular but appreciative reader.
— Nicky Hager

What I hope is that we don’t have to re-learn all these lessons again in 12 years.
— Darel Hall

Kia ora to The Jobs Letter Team! 12 years ago seems like yesterday. I can clearly remember, like Employment Matters, when The Jobs Letter was produced.
With its challenges on government policy, businesses and the wider community, information and detail has always been forthright and up to date.
Along with the 12 years of The Jobs Letter production, many great community development initiatives and organisations like CEGs and CEDU have moved on. I recognise the people and teams within The Jobs Letter and their effort over the years.
As somebody who has come from community development, along with many present day leaders who are now in a variety of forums, I certainly want to recognise The Jobs Letter Team and say ‘a job well done’! Heio ano
— Parekura Horomia

As for The Jobs Letter – this has been a national icon for a number of years, always well researched, always timely and always relevant. Much of this success is clearly the result of the calibre and resilience of the editorial board. It always has appeared to be politically impartial. That it is not planned to continue will be a great loss. While it would be a very difficult act to follow – the process and standards have been long set. I earnestly hope that some agency/group will pick up the reins. In the interim – rest well in your big shoes. You have done exceedingly well for far longer than anyone could have hoped for.
— Gordon Hudson

The Jobs Letter will be greatly missed.
— Judy McGregor

In 2000, The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs signed a memorandum of understanding with The Jobs Research Trust, the first partnership negotiated by the Taskforce. Over the last five years The Jobs Letter has provided Mayors with up to date, succinct information on work and livelihood which we have been able to use in our work on youth employment. The resource has been invaluable and has given us an insight into the many issues facing our communities. We have been very pleased be a part of this community project which has given all of us information not always readily available in the mainstream media, and we acknowledge the work of The Jobs Letter in supporting the aims and goals of the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs.
— Paul Matheson

When I learned The Jobs Letter was putting together its final issue, I was very disappointed and immediately wondered who else could provide as good a service in this field. When I began researching, The Jobs Letter was a marvellous discovery. The well-presented up-to-date stats (which Statistics New Zealand don’t make highly accessible), the news round-up, book reviews and the generally unbiased tone has made this publication one I look forward to receiving. It will be missed. Thank you for the work you have done
— Lindsay Mitchell

Finally I would like to congratulate vivian Hutchinson and The Jobs Letter team for consistently providing a one stop shop for what’s hot and what’s not on the employment/unemployment frontier for 12 long years — a remarkable achievement.
— Sandi Morrison

Thank you to the Jobs Research Trust for all your work over the years. You have created a really useful tool and information resource and I wish you all the best with your next project.
— Russel Norman

Outside the appropriate academic circles, commentary on socioeconomic relations in terms of the enduring dynamic between ‘labour and capital’ is no longer taken very seriously. Yet I cannot rid myself of the view that most, if not all, of the socioeconomic concerns we have at multiple levels of community, nation and globe, can be understood in terms of how we mismanage such relationships. That of labour and capital remains one of those central to our current socioeconomic structures. The Jobs Research Trust has, and continues, to provide important witness to how that relationship not only remains so central but continues to struggle to achieve a semblance of equitable justice — and has extended that role to also being an extra-ordinary clearing-house of employment-related information (widely interpreted, thank goodness!). Thank guys, for having what it took to make it happen.
— Greg Pirie

The Jobs Letter has been a great source of current information for people working in this sector. I work as a consultant in an isolated work environment and The Jobs Letter has been really helpful for me to stay in touch with trends and have access to statistics presented in a useful and easily understood format. I hope The Jobs Letter will be resurrected in some other form! Congratulations on what you have achieved and good luck for the future!
— Brigid Ryan

The Jobs Letter has been a wonderful resource and will be sorely missed.
— Susan St John

Having experienced the energy emanating from 12 years and 253 issues I know that the closure of The Jobs Letter is only the end of a chapter. You held out this light through years of devastating restructuring, keeping hopes alive. Your new horizons will develop creative new ways to follow. We have learned to hold you in great respect and look forward to your new fields of leadership.
— Ron Sharp

The Jobs Letter has been our inspiration at Work & Age Trust. Those wonderful Hutchinson think pieces have lifted our spirits at times when all around (the policy shop) is bleak. Vivian has introduced us to new world thinkers — the Jeremy Rifkins, the Paul Hawkens etc. who have taken us in new directions. The facts and figures have always been presented ‘au natural’ without that all to familiar spin from other sources. WE WILL MISS THE JOBS LETTERS HEAPS.
It was during my Churchill Fellowship through North America in 2001 that the international effects of The Jobs Letters and Vivian were highlighted for me. When introducing myself as a kiwi in many meetings, conferences etc the common question was do you known Vivian Hutchinson — that famous kiwi and leader in the field of employment. They often saw The Jobs Letter as part of some big institution — little did they know (till I told them) that it operated from a kitchen table in the Naki.
Ka kite ano my friends
— Roger Tweedy

Heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in producing with The Jobs Letter for their invaluable work over the past 12 years and best wishes to all in their future projects.
— Janfrie Wakim

Many people in the union movement have appreciated and contributed to the work of The Jobs Letter. It has been an excellent resource for people involved in employment, poverty and welfare campaigning and community economic development, and its regular contributions to these areas will be missed.
— Ross Wilson

We will miss this resource, and wish those involved all the best in the future.
— Donna Wynd

The Jobs Letter

— Essential Information and Media Watch on Jobs, Employment, Unemployment, the Future of Work, and related Education and Economic issues.

Published every 2-3 weeks in New Zealand.

Freely available
on this website www.jobsletter.org.nz thanks to the support of the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs

About the Letter

About PDF files

Editors
Dave Owens
vivian Hutchinson

Website
Vivian Hutchinson

Awards
Peace Media Award

ISSN No. 1172-6695

The Jobs Letter
P.O.Box 428
New Plymouth
Taranaki
New Zealand

phone 06-753-4434
fax 06-753-4430
jbl@jobsletter.org.nz

It is sad that all our efforts at local, regional and national levels to fight poverty and unemployment are wiped out every few years by the Reserve Bank and yet we were never able to organize ourselves politically to stop it. — Alister Barry

Implicit in this brief review is an agenda for further work. It is sad that The Jobs Letter won’t be there to think about it, as it has been pursuing the earlier agenda set by the trauma of the 1987-1993 period. Who will? — Brian Easton

I want to thank The Jobs Letter team for the outstanding contribution you have made to ensuring that the New Zealand public is better informed and encouraged to think and talk about these important issues. As a freelance commentator, I will miss The Jobs Letter immensely. — Anne Else

I hope you’re all feeling good about your efforts over the last 12 years. Congratulations from an irregular but appreciative reader. — Nicky Hager

What I hope is that we don’t have to re-learn all these lessons again in 12 years. — Darel Hall

The Jobs Letter will be greatly missed. — Judy McGregor

Finally I would like to congratulate vivian Hutchinson and The Jobs Letter team for consistently providing a one stop shop for what’s hot and what’s not on the employment/unemployment frontier for 12 long years — a remarkable achievement. — Sandi Morrison

Thank you to the Jobs Research Trust for all your work over the years. You have created a really useful tool and information resource and I wish you all the best with your next project.— Russel Norman

The Jobs Letter has been a wonderful resource and will be sorely missed. — Susan St John

Heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in producing with The Jobs Letter for their invaluable work over the past 12 years and best wishes to all in their future projects. — Janfrie Wakim

We will miss this resource, and wish those involved all the best in the future. — Donna Wynd