It's that time of the year when we hear the same old story about fruit grower's desperation to hire harvesting staff.
More than 11,000 foreigners in New Zealand have been individually urged to immediately take up seasonal work in Central Otago, as desperate cherry growers in the district teeter on the brink of losing their crucial export harvests because of a labour shortage.
From Boxing Day, every visitor thought to be in New Zealand with a Holiday Working Scheme permit was sent text messages and emails urging them to head to Central Otago, in a last-ditch effort by Horticulture New Zealand and the Department of Labour to boost workers in the district.
Central Otago has been recognised as having an absolute labour shortage by Work and Income New Zealand for the past three years.
There are 19,000 people aged 18-64 picking up a benefit in Southland alone. I understand some would not be able to do the physical work required and some would need to make arrangements for young children. That aside I cannot accept there isn't labour available in that pool. Whether it is willing is another matter. Perhaps the government should be less willing to provide them with an alternative.
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15 comments:
Unbelievable!
I wonder how much a cherry-picker makes in a day...
But Lindsay,
You fail to mention that in Southland there are only around 750 people on the unemployment benefit who are under 40 years of age. People older than that are less likely to be fit enough to keep up the pace of picking. The rest of the beneficiaries you mention are invalids or sick or single parents.
They are picking cherries, not watermelons.
Many of the 'invalids' would be up to that.
Also, I'm way past 40- I managed to do more strenuous work than picking cherries!
In any case- there are 750 that should be picking fruit right now.
"People older than that are less likely to be fit enough to keep up the pace of picking"
Nonsense--I'm 60+ and up until very recently I was working as a John Deere field service technician, something that's a bloody sight harder than picking cherries.
The same company had half a dozen blokes over 50 who were doing the hard physical work.
Harpoon, This is apparently a crisis. The export crop is at risk. By the way the tax receipts go towards paying people benefits. Here's the breakdown;
Unemployment benefit - 2911
DPB - 4986
Sickness benefit - 3116
Invalid's benefit - 6994
I have already allowed that some will not be up to the physical work. But typically around half on the DPB will have children aged 5 and older. The kids don't have to be at school right now. There are ways and means to harness that labour but too many are like you. Looking for excuses.
For pities' sake Harpoon, 750 people can pick a shit load of fruit. Has it escaped you that taxpayers pay for benefits. I, for one, am sick of people finding excuses for able bodied folks to sit on their bottoms at my expense when there are jobs which need doing going begging.
It's time for reality to intrude into ideology. Since the dawn of human existence people have always had to take responsibility for sustaining themselves. It's no different today.
Lindsay, you should be straight-up about the numbers when you start. If it's 2911 on the dole, don't say eleven thousand. Also, when you say, "I have already allowed that some will not be up to the physical work," why do you think almost 3/4 of the total number on a benefit is merely "some" and not a majority?
Oswald, I didn't say people over 40 CAN'T do the work; I said they "are less likely to be fit enough to keep up the pace of picking".
David, "It's time for reality to intrude into ideology" ... LOL! That's a good bit of finger pointing. When you point your finger, how many fingers point back atcha?
Harpoon, I said there were 11,000 on the dole?
Go back and read the post properly.
I won't use the word "majority" because I don't believe it. I agree with the OECD that estimates across western countries only one third of people on disability payments are suffering the sorts of severe disabilities that make paid employment difficult or impossible.
And there are thousands of single parents who could be working just like their employed counterparts.
Can you provide any reason why able people should be paid benefits when there is work available?
Lindsay - of course Harpoon cannot provide a reason for people to be on benefits when there is paid employment to be had. As someone who used to a lot of fruit picking and pruning during the season up in the BOP, it is great work. You are outdoors, soak up some gammas, there are stacks of young foreign backpackers and it is fun communal work. Sure, it is repetitive, but so is practically every job. The real fact is that there are bludgers and the fact that they cannot get of their arses for two months work shows it. I am sure that local growers would even provide buses to get people to the orchards.
Brian Smaller
I assume again that Harpoon is quite happy to pay tax (if he works that is) so that others can sit back and get money for nothing.
I wonder what exactly Harpoon does that warrants his flippant and inaccurate remarks.
So those who aren't working hard enough to meet your expectations should have a role decided for them?
A real capitalist would let them make their own way in the world according to their skill and intelligence.
Why not drop the pretense of being a right-wing blogger and just admit you're all for communism? Stalinesque communism, that is.
Anon, I am right behind people making "their own way in the world according to their skill and intelligence."
Making their own way suggests independence and self-reliance. That is exactly what abusers of welfare are NOT doing.
I am not right-wing. Never have been.
Harpoon -
She never said 11,000 - Lindsay stated 19,000.
Also for reader comprehension benefit does not equal Dole.
You need to add all the DPB, Dole etc figures together to get the benefit number.
Anon -
No, but they shouldn't expect to get a subsidy to play out the role that they want to play...
"A real capitalist would let them make their own way in the world according to their skill and intelligence."
Fruit-picking sounds about right then. ;-)
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