Labour's "no frills" leader Andrew Little has vowed to fight for young people, first homebuyers, better healthcare and the chance for a Labour government in 2017 in an address closing his party's annual conference.

Party faithful packed the Auckland conference centre on the final day of the three-day event to hear Mr Little speak.

He was given a rock star welcome to the stage as he told delegates they looked like a "party ready to win an election".

"This is a straight fight. I'm up for it, I know you're up for it and I'm telling you this - we're going to win," he said.

"We're going to win because New Zealanders know it's time to back our people, it's time to invest in the future and it's time to put people first."

While the conference was celebrating the Labour Party's centenary and looking ahead to next year's campaign, jobs and training quickly emerged as dominant themes.

Mr Little used his speech to announce a new $60 million a year policy targeting 74,000 young people who are not currently in employment, education or training.

Ready for Work will provide six-month jobs on environment on conservation projects at the minimum wage for young people aged 18 to 24 who have been work ready on Jobseeker Allowance for at least six months, he said.

"My commitment is this: a future where every young New Zealander is earning a living or studying towards a career," he said.

Mr Little also declared Labour the party of home ownership.

"We're not going to let our families be shut out of housing, we're not going to sit on the sideline, we're going to roll up our sleeves, get stuck in, and we're going to fix the housing crisis once and for all," he said.

Earlier delegates gathered to hear deputy leader Annette King describe Mr Little as uniting the party in a way not seen since Helen Clark led Labour to three successive victories.

"Andrew is no frills. He is what you see. He's a straight talker, a determined fighter, a man of principle," she said.

Mr Little's speech brought to an end the conference that included the launch of the Future of Work Commission's report.

Two years of work culminated in more than 60 policy recommendations including a proposal to provide six weeks of free training to employees made redundant by technological advances and automation and a levy on businesses who turn to overseas skilled workers to resolve shortages rather than training people already in New Zealand to do the work.

But the recommendations haven't got a thumbs up from everyone.

BusinessNZ says the proposed non-training levy would be a blunt instrument that would not fix skills shortages.Labour con

"The underlying problem is that many employers can't get New Zealand staff, whether skilled or unskilled - and if they can't get them, they can't train them," chief executive Kirk Hope said.