(From The New Zealand Herald) The Government needs to act quickly to prevent a skills shortage that could cripple efforts to rebuild quake-hit Christchurch, Labour leader Phil Goff says.

Mr Goff said today that immediate action was needed to get people into training courses for much-needed trades like building, plumbing and drain-laying.

Without extra training there would be a skills shortage in a year to 18 months that would "cripple the rebuild effort, cause significant delays and push up the cost of construction".

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