Immigration announcement: Disappointing but there’s hope, says DairyNZ

DairyNZ is disappointed that today’s announcement by Government has not addressed the concerns raised about migrant staff.

However, DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle says there is hope for farmers who need to employ people from overseas.

“Government has committed to tackling the issues as a priority to help provide certainty for farmers who need to employ migrant staff, and those staff members themselves, as well as their families.”

In its announcement the Government says a second phase will focus on the classifications of dairy staff jobs.

“Meanwhile, it is status quo for most of our farmers and their migrant employees,” says Dr Mackle.

“The majority of workers from overseas will continue to need to reapply for their visas each year, cannot bring their families and cannot stay longer than three years.

“This is because they are still regarded under the new regulations as low-skilled due to the classification system used by Government which does not recognise dairy as having mid-skill level jobs.”

Dr Mackle says dairy farmers, just like any other business owners need a stable, reliable, and productive workforce.

“We will continue to work with Government as the second phase progresses to ensure the best outcomes for our farmers.

“Knowing that they will be able to retain their good staff will mean our farmers can be confident in investing in training and development so as to maintain the high skills level and productivity New Zealand’s dairy sector is known for.”

DairyNZ with Federated Farmers is spearheading the Workplace Action Plan initiative to attract and retain quality workers for the dairy sector. Dairynz.co.nz\wap

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