Having the tools and skills to lead capably and confidently is a key objective of the First Line Management Training (FLM) delivered by NMIT | Te Pūkenga for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).
The online, one-year programme includes four courses covering the business environment, effective team leadership; achieving team objectives and team management and 
motivation;
Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) tutor Alec Woods says the students bring a range of experiences and cultural diversity to the global activity that is, fisheries management.
“It gives them an opportunity to share their experiences, and my job, as the facilitator, is to guide them to do it more effectively.”
NMIT has a long history of delivering training programmes to fisheries officers throughout the Pacific.
FFA with support from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) under the Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction Phase II (ABNJII) project are sponsoring a cohort of 15 students from across the FFA membership.
Mr Barnabas Houpasi, a student from Solomon Islands, explained that he was “keen to improve his management skills to motivate people and build an effective team.” Mr Houpasi, a Senior Fishery Officer (Compliance Section), highlighted that the course is delivered online and introduces him to “new management strategies and positive ways to navigate conflict in the workplace.”
The NMIT FLM programme was contextualized for FFA in collaboration with FFA, the Pacific Community (SPC) and TANZ eCampus.
The current intake to the programme includes students from Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Tuvalu.