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Workforce Development

Workforce Development: Building Capability, Creating Culturally Safe Spaces

Developing a strong and resilient Indigenous workforce in the trail and tourism sectors is essential to ensuring long-term community benefit, cultural continuity, and sustainable economic opportunities. It also supports self-determination by enabling Indigenous people to lead and shape the future of the places they know best.

 

But successful workforce development must go beyond just providing jobs. It requires genuine investment in capability building, culturally aligned career pathways, and safe working environments that value Indigenous knowledge, identity, and leadership.

Equally important is the need for non-Indigenous organisations - including land management agencies, tourism bodies, and contractors - to become culturally safe and inclusive spaces for Indigenous staff. Without this, retention suffers, wellbeing is compromised, and talent is lost.

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Effective workforce development involves supporting both Indigenous communities to step into opportunity - and supporting agencies and employers to create the right conditions for success.

Why It Matters​

  • Trails developed on Indigenous lands must reflect Indigenous voices and leadership in every layer - including planning, operations, and interpretation.

  • Career pathways in conservation, tourism, storytelling, land management and enterprise should be accessible and meaningful to Indigenous people.

  • Staff retention and wellbeing improve when Indigenous employees are supported in workplaces that are culturally aware and responsive.

  • Agencies gain stronger relationships, deeper insight, and more innovative outcomes when their workforce reflects the communities they serve.

Principles of Strong Workforce Development​

  • Workforce strategies should be guided by values that reflect Indigenous aspirations and best practice in workplace inclusion:

  • Respect for Indigenous identity, knowledge, and lived experience.

  • Equity in opportunity, training, and progression.

  • Support for career development that aligns with cultural obligations and community priorities.

  • Representation of Indigenous voices in decision-making, leadership, and strategy.

  • Cultural safety in every workplace - not just cultural awareness training, but meaningful change.

Methodology 1 - Supporting Indigenous Workforce Development in Trails​

  1.  Engage with Communities First

    • Understand community aspirations for employment, enterprise, and participation in trail-related work.

    • Ask what success looks like - for individuals, whānau/family, and the broader community.

  2.  Co-Design Roles and Pathways

    • Work with communities to design roles that reflect cultural responsibilities, knowledge systems, and local context.

    • Offer flexible job structures, seasonal options, and part-time pathways where appropriate.

  3.  Invest in Training and Mentorship

    • Provide hands-on learning, on-country training, and peer mentoring opportunities.

    • Partner with Indigenous-led training providers or develop programs in collaboration with the community.

  4.  Support Long-Term Progression

    • Build clear pathways into leadership, technical specialisation, and enterprise ownership.

    • Recognise and reward Indigenous knowledge as a professional skillset.

  5.  Enable Cultural Integrity

    • Ensure cultural protocols, obligations, and values are recognised in all employment settings.

    • Allow space for staff to maintain connections with culture, community, and land.

Methodology 2 - Creating Culturally Safe Workplaces in Agencies​

  1.  Begin with Self-Reflection

    • Encourage leadership and staff to reflect on biases, behaviours, and assumptions.

    • Conduct internal assessments of current workplace culture from an Indigenous perspective.

  2.  Build Cultural Competence Across the Organisation

    • Go beyond tick-box cultural awareness - embed cultural capability into systems, not just workshops.

    • Bring in Indigenous advisors, facilitators, or staff councils to lead this work.

  3.  Review and Adapt Workplace Policies

    • Ensure recruitment, induction, leave, grievance, and progression processes are culturally responsive.

    • Make space for cultural obligations, ceremonies, and leave needs.

  4.  Create Structures for Support

    • Establish Indigenous peer networks, mentoring programs, and feedback channels.

    • Appoint cultural liaison roles or coordinators to provide wraparound support.

  5.  Measure and Improve

    • Regularly gather feedback from Indigenous staff about their workplace experience.

    • Track recruitment, retention, and progression data to identify gaps and inform action.

    • Be accountable - cultural safety is an ongoing practice, not a one-time achievement.

A Shared Opportunity

Developing a thriving Indigenous workforce in trails and related industries isn’t just a benefit to communities - it strengthens the entire sector. It brings richer stories to life, ensures cultural values are upheld, and creates new generations of custodians, guides, and leaders deeply connected to place.

 

By walking both sides of the path - building opportunity with Indigenous communities and transforming agencies into culturally safe environments - we build a future where everyone thrives.

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