Recently, we have been presenting our Quarter 3 (January to March 2026) report to the Wairarapa councils, highlighting continued momentum across the programme’s three priority areas: Food & Fibre (primary sector), Skills & Workforce Development, and
During Quarter 3, activity increasingly transitioned from planning into targeted delivery, supported by strong collaboration across industry, councils, community organisations, and sector partners.
Food & Fibre (Primary Sector)
The Capability Boost programme confirmed a fully subscribed pilot cohort of ten businesses representing more than 7,200ha across sheep and beef, dairy, and horticulture/viticulture operations. This strong uptake demonstrates clear demand for capability investment within the region’s primary sector.
The Future Options workstream also progressed into a more focused delivery phase, with four priority value-add opportunities identified and validated through engagement with local stakeholders: Wool, olives, kiwifruit, and grains & seeds.
This work is helping establish clear pathways toward staged action planning, feasibility assessment, and future investment opportunities.
Skills & Workforce Development
Work continued across several workforce-focused initiatives. Tū Hauoranga Trust have been advancing their website and Tūhono directory ready for public launch. Business Wairarapa scheduled the final WaiHost workshop for April - Buddy to Boss. Waitech Trust are preparing to run through the finalised Digital Fluency baseline assessment at Makoura College in May. The Skill Wairarapa group also agreed to advance Skills to Work from concept into coordinated actions to better support secondary school students and local employers.
Water Resilience
Quarter 3 also saw the publication of the A Case for Action report, providing an evidence-based foundation for future water resilience investment in Wairarapa, this can be found on the WEDS website. The report clearly outlines the long-term economic and employment opportunities that could be enabled through a water-resilient future, while helping define the “size of the prize” for the region by 2050.
The Water Summer Series also concluded during the quarter, with final events exploring the evolving role of water race networks in modern farming systems and future water management.
Looking Ahead
Upcoming priorities for Q4 include:
- Completing Capability Boost discovery sessions and developing tailored capability building plans
- Progressing wool, olive, and kiwifruit pathways into early-stage action planning
- Finalising the FY2026/27 Work Programme
- Supporting the delivery of initiatives under the Skills & Workforce Development workstream
- Continuing to shape the actions to be delivered under the Skills to Work initiative.
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