MSD & Zeducation: 108 Pasifika Supported into Sustainable Employment
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
The Ministry of Social Development and Zeducation partnered to solve a hard problem: too many Pasifika Aucklanders — unemployed, at risk of redundancy, and shut out by systemic barriers — could not find a way into secure work.
Over a two-year contract under the Pacific Employment Action Plan Fund, Zeducation designed and delivered Voyage to Success, a culturally grounded programme that took people from zero to generic CV and a knocked-down confidence to job-ready and employed.
By the end, 155 Pasifika participants had enrolled and 108 had moved into secure, sustainable employment — beating every enrolment and employment target, sustaining outcomes past 90 days, and delivering the full programme on budget with a zero deficit. Here is how it was done.
Case Study Overview
Programme | Voyage to Success: Empowering Pasifika Futures |
Partners |
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Timeframe | October 2024 – June 2026 (two-year PEAP contract) |
People Trained | 155 Pasifika participants enrolled |
Location | Auckland — Manurewa, Māngere, Ōtara and surrounding areas |
Services Provided by Zeducation |
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Outcomes |
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The Challenge
MSD engaged Zeducation because the barriers facing Pasifika jobseekers in Auckland were stubborn and stacked on top of one another. The programme had to reach people the wider system was missing, and move them into work that lasted.
Unemployment and displacement. The target cohort included people who were unemployed, re-entering the workforce, or at risk of redundancy through economic and technological change — many navigating rising cost-of-living pressure at the same time.
Systemic barriers for Pasifika communities. Limited access to quality training, financial constraints, a lack of culturally responsive career guidance, and underrepresentation in leadership and high-growth sectors held people back long before a job application was ever written.
Practical readiness gaps. Participants often arrived with an outdated CV or none at all, applying to every role with the same generic document, and many were doing this in English as a second language.
Confidence, not just capability. Repeated rejection eroded self-belief. People who were entirely capable of working had stopped believing an employer would ever say yes.
Our Response
Zeducation delivered an end-to-end pathway from enrolment to sustained employment, built on Pacific values and staffed by facilitators who share the languages and cultural contexts of the people they serve.
Discovery and community-led design
The programme was designed around Pasifika learning styles, communal strengths, and family involvement — not bolted onto a generic curriculum. Facilitators and mentors with shared cultural backgrounds built trust and belonging from day one, and referrals flowed through both community networks and local MSD branches at Manurewa, Māngere, and Ōtara.
Culturally grounded delivery
Delivery was anchored in Te Whare Tapa Whā and the Fonofale model, supporting participants holistically across wellbeing, identity, relationships, and professional growth. Talanoa-based, one-on-one support kept cultural values at the centre, and bilingual facilitation meant concepts could be explained in a participant's own language when English moved too fast.
The 10-week programme
Each participant worked through a structured 10-week course of weekly three-hour sessions covering dreams and aspirations, confidence and assertiveness, time management, Microsoft Office and AI tools, CV and cover-letter writing, LinkedIn and job search, teamwork and problem-solving, communication, professionalism, and group presentations. Every participant received a detailed training plan.
Six months of pastoral care
Training did not end at graduation. A six-month pastoral care follow-up gave participants one-on-one coaching, an online community, and continued learning through the Zeducation app. This wrap-around support is what turned job entries into lasting employment — and, in several cases, helped participants clear barriers like gaining a driver licence.
Employer brokerage and partnerships
Zeducation built a genuine employment pipeline with employer partners and recruitment partnerships, alongside deepening relationships with local MSD branches and Auckland Council libraries, which signed MOUs and service agreements for community venue use. The partnership with Spark NZ opened the technology sector to young participants.
AI-enabled innovation
The team built practical tools in-house: an AI CV generator to produce job-ready CVs quickly, and an AI transcription tool that records and transcribes speech for participants who struggle with writing or with English — capturing their work history in their own words. This freed facilitators to spend more time on Talanoa-based, human support.
Outcomes
Every headline target was met or exceeded, and the programme delivered on budget. Figures are drawn from Zeducation's SORT records and MSD reporting.
Reach — exceeded. 155 Pasifika participants enrolled against a target of 132. Of these, 83 were in receipt of a main benefit with work obligations at the time of enrolment, well above the minimum of 66, with strong engagement across both community and MSD referral pathways.
Employment (capability) — exceeded. 108 participants moved into secure, sustainable employment — permanent full-time, permanent part-time, or steady casual work — against a target of 106.
Sustainability — target met in full. 74 participants retained or improved on their employment outcome for at least 90 days, hitting the 90-day sustainability target exactly and showing the outcomes are durable rather than transitional.
Progression and leadership. Two participants progressed into more senior, leadership, or specialised roles relative to where they started — early proof that the pathway supports advancement, not just job entry.
Sector quality. New roles were concentrated in high-growth and sustainable sectors — technology, education, manufacturing and distribution, and social work and healthcare — sectors that offer real career progression.
Value. The full contract was delivered on budget with a net surplus/deficit of zero, and the assets built during the programme — the AI CV generator, the transcription tool, and educational YouTube resources — now carry forward into Zeducation's ongoing MSD job-placement work.
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