The NZ Howard League for Penal Reform is on a mission to create 100 new truck drivers to help grow the economy during COVID-19.
The justice advocacy group has its own driving programme and works with the Department of Corrections to help ex-prisoners and offenders obtain driving licences and move into work.
NZ Howard League chief executive Mike Williams says with borders closed to so much of the migrant workforce, now is the time to invest resources in local people who may have been overlooked in the past.
This would be particularly helpful for labour shortages in horticulture, agriculture, infrastructure and transportation in the provinces, he says.
“For the cost of keeping one person in prison for a year we can train around 100 people to class 2 to 5 licences as well as providing training in wheels, tracks and rollers so they can operate road works and farm machinery, and forklifts.
“Once someone has these licences they are almost guaranteed to get well paid jobs anywhere in the country,” Williams says.
The NZ Howard League runs 17 driving programmes around the North Island with 14 funded by the Provincial Growth Fund and three by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
To date the programme has generated over 6000 class 1 driving licences.
According to Impact Lab, a social research company headed by Sir Bill English, every dollar invested in the Howard League driving programme results in $3.26 returned to New Zealand.
