Sick of calls from recruiters?
Wellington Hire Wire, issue eight: cutting the noise, backing local, and keeping people safe and supported.
Hello from Ailsa & Beccy
This month’s Hire Wire starts with something we hear from clients all the time - too many calls from recruiters. In tough markets, site managers don’t need their phones ringing off the hook with cold calls and coffee pitches. That’s why we’ve never set gnarly call quotas for our team. We’d rather focus on listening, solving problems, and showing up when we’re needed.
We’re also sharing what “building people, building community” looks like in practice. More than 1,400 temp-to-perm roles, apprentices who’ve gone from first day to fully qualified, and over $140,000 invested in tools and training. It’s proof that good hiring builds more than crews - it builds careers and strengthens communities.
Looking ahead, October brings Mental Health Awareness Week. The theme this year is Top Up Together which is a perfect fit for our industry, where connection and teamwork matter just as much as hard hats and harnesses. For us, mental health isn’t a week-long campaign. It’s part of how we work, every day.
And because continuity matters too, we’ve included a piece on why consistency in recruitment is worth its weight in gold. When you don’t have to start from scratch with every call, projects run smoother and workers feel better supported.
In this issue:
Sick of recruiter calls? Why we do things differently
Building people, building community - the ripple effect of local hiring
Why continuity matters - smoother jobs, stronger teams
Mental health is as important as PPE - getting ready for Mental Health Awareness Week
Thanks for backing us - and for backing local.
Ailsa & Beccy
Got something to add? A trend you’re seeing on site or in the office? We’d love to hear it. Send it through to wellingtonhirewire@substack.com.
Sick of calls from recruiters?
Ask any site manager and they’ll tell you one of the biggest headaches isn’t paperwork or traffic - it’s recruiters lighting up their phone. Not because there’s something urgent to solve, but because they’ve got gnarly KPI targets to meet.
At some firms, consultants are told to land 100 calls a week or line up 50 coffees a month. The result? Endless interruptions that drag you away from running the site. And half the time the question is the same: “Got any jobs to fill?”
It’s not just irritating. In a downturn, when you’re fighting to keep your permanent crew together, being hassled about vacancies you don’t have can feel tone-deaf. Instead of taking pressure off, it piles more on.
So what would better look like?
Calls with a purpose. If the phone rings, it should be because there’s a real update, a candidate worth knowing about, or a genuine solution.
Better timing. Recruiters should know when you’re in hiring mode and when you’re not. The best ones lean in when it matters and back off when it doesn’t.
More listening, less selling. Quick check-ins are fine, but real partners spend more time understanding your site than pitching at it.
That’s the difference when you work with Key Skills. No gnarly call targets, no ringing for the sake of it. Just real conversations when there’s something worth talking about.
Because recruitment should make your job easier, not harder.
Building people, building community
At Key Skills, labour hire has always been about more than filling shifts. It’s about creating pathways, backing people, and leaving sites and communities stronger than we found them.
What that looks like in practice
Invested over $40,000 in training in the past 12 months.
Spent $140,000 on apprentice tools so people can do the job properly.
Supported 1,414 workers to transition into permanent employment overall, including 30+ last year.
Helped five apprentices complete qualifications while working through us.
Provided fully funded certifications including Site Safe, forklift, EWP, and first aid, plus driver licensing support.
Created clear pathways into Leading Hand and supervisory roles.
These aren’t one-off wins. A labourer who starts with us today could be a qualified tradie in a few years’ time. A temp who takes on a seasonal contract could later become the full-time hire a client trusts because of the experience built on site.
For clients, every hour invested in people pays off in productivity, safety, and retention. Workers who already know the site, the standards, and the crew hit the ground running. With the right gear and training, downtime is reduced. And when people build careers instead of just clocking shifts, you get stronger crews and safer outcomes.
For the community, local hiring keeps wages in the region and supports families close to home. Work builds confidence, routine, and purpose and when short-term contracts lead to long-term careers, that stability benefits whole whānau.
We’re not waiting for policy to tell us to deliver broader outcomes. We already are. It’s the reason we’re here, and the reason we’re proud to say building people means building community.
Read our full article on this here
Why continuity matters in labour hire
On any site, there’s nothing more frustrating than having to start from scratch every time you call your labour hire provider. New contact, same questions, another round of re-explaining what you need. It slows projects down and creates gaps you don’t have time for.
That’s why continuity matters. A good labour hire partner makes sure your site knowledge, safety standards, and job details don’t get lost in the shuffle. It’s what keeps work moving when crews change and projects scale up or down.
Here’s what to look for:
Stable recruiter teams
Shared systems
Consistency for workers
At Key Skills, most of our recruiters have been with us for years, and we’ve invested in capturing client knowledge across the business. That means faster placements, smoother handovers, and workers who feel supported and come back ready to perform.
Continuity might not sound like a big deal until it’s missing. Then you see the difference.
Read our full article on this here
Mental Health is as important as PPE
At Key Skills, we see mental health as being just as important as fall protection or PPE gear. You wouldn’t send someone up a scaffold without a harness and you shouldn’t expect workers to carry the load without the right support for their wellbeing.
That’s why Mental Health Awareness Week (6 - 12 October) is a fixture for us. This year’s theme is Top Up Together - encouraging people to recharge by connecting with others and putting the Five Ways to Wellbeing into daily practice.
We’ll be marking the week by sharing daily activities and resources on Facebook and LinkedIn, so clients, workers, and friends of Key Skills can join in. Each day will focus on one of the Five Ways:
Connect, Give, Be Active, Take Notice, and Keep Learning.
It’s something we’ve always believed in. Earlier this year, our team joined the MATES in Construction “Long Lap” walk - a reminder that the challenges of mental health don’t get solved alone. They’re carried together.
For us, Mental Health Awareness Week isn’t just seven days. It’s part of how we operate year-round. Looking after wellbeing is safety, plain and simple.
Follow us online and join in - we’d love you to take part.
We’re here on Facebook here
We’re here on LinkedIn here
Read our full article on this here
Need extra hands on site? Get in touch - we’re here to help.