![A sister city agreement was signed between Gunnedah and Kolomotu'a, Tonga in June. Picture by Gunnedah Shire Council A sister city agreement was signed between Gunnedah and Kolomotu'a, Tonga in June. Picture by Gunnedah Shire Council](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/150521478/69e1b37b-da8c-4811-976d-7d30bd479a1e.jpg/r0_102_1994_1228_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A PLANE ride across the sea could bring the answers to bolstering the workforce and filling job vacancies in the region.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
A delegation of 16 representatives from Gunnedah's council, industry and community groups touched down in Tonga on Thursday in an effort to recruit workers for both skilled and unskilled labour.
Gunnedah mayor Jamie Chaffey said there were "hundreds and hundreds" of job vacancies across all industries.
Aged care, child care, manufacturing and processing, agriculture and even council itself are grappling with workforce shortages.
The week-long trip to Tonga will focus on building connections and exploring the availability of Pacific workers to make the move to Gunnedah.
READ ALSO:
"At council we're focused on what we can do different," Cr Chaffey told the Leader.
"We're looking at not just retaining the people here and bringing more people into the workforce that live in Gunnedah ... but bringing them from other places in NSW, Australia and even looking overseas as the community continues to grow."
A 'sister city' agreement was signed between Gunnedah and Kolomotu'a in Tonga in June this year.
A video featuring local faces will be played for Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni, cabinet and industry representatives to showcase the shire.
"We've created a video that talks about and shows the scenery of Gunnedah," Cr Chaffey said.
"It has local people form local industries like child care, aged care and the schools talking about the potential ways we can work together."
For the relationship between the two communities to be successful, Cr Chaffey said it was important there were "wins for both sides".
Gunnedah's Rotary Club and Red Cross have raised money to send to Tonga to help with disaster recovery and student exchange programs have been slated for the future.
There might be plenty of jobs available but other infrastructure will have to catch up to accommodate for an influx of workers to Gunnedah.
"Housing is a problem for us ... it's a pressure point," Cr Chaffey said.
"There is a very small availability of housing at the moment."
But with development applications piling up on council desks, a housing availability strategy, and builders on the ground, Cr Chaffey said everything was being done to "alleviate those issues going forward".
Aside from housing, work has been made to improve infrastructure across the shire in preparation for a growing community.
A re-developed hospital and a new water treatment plan are on the cards for the town.
Council has also prioritised improving the rail network and getting commercial flights back landing in Gunnedah.
"We've been growing year on year and I'm really pleased with that," Cr Chaffey said.
"But we know the potential is so high.
"We're getting that infrastructure up, but housing will be a key area."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark northerndailyleader.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News