Winegrowers support new seasonal visa policy
The new Global Workforce Seasonal Visa will provide longer term certainty for wineries, says NZW Chief Executive Philip Gregan.
Farmers are claiming a victory in their fight against new Accredited Employment Work Visa (AEWV) changes announced by the Government last month.
Federated Farmers claim that Immigration Minister Erica Stanford has agreed to changes that will help farmers get migrant staff on farm.
In an email to Feds members today, vice president and immigration spokesman Richard McIntyre said they have been fighting hard to get staff in for the calving season.
“Our pressure has paid off, with the Immigration Minister agreeing to changes that will help employers get migrant staff on-farm,” he says.
“We’ve also worked with Immigration NZ to create a comprehensive guide to help farmers navigate this work visa process. “In the long-term, we’re working to ensure there are improvements to the AEWV system that work for our farming employers and their teams.”
Last month, McIntyre said the changes “have caused a lot of concern and confusion”.
Many farmers rely on migrant workers to work on dairy farms and orchards. McIntyre claims the changes came into force immediately and will make things a lot harder for farmers who are trying to bring in staff from oversees.
The changes announced last month included a shorter visa length of two years with a maximum continuous stay period of three years, and the introduction of a 12-month stand-down period at the end of the visa. There are also new minimum requirements when it comes to skills, work experience, advertising roles, and engaging with Work and Income.
Relationships are key to opening new trading opportunities and dealing with some of the rules that countries impose that impede the free flow of trade.
Dawn Meats chief executive Niall Browne says their joint venture with Alliance Group will create “a dynamic industry competitor”.
Tributes have flowed following the death of former Prime Minister and political and business leader, Jim Bolger. He was 90.
A drop in methane targets announced by the Government this month has pleased farmers but there are concerns that without cross-party support, the targets would change once a Labour-led Government is voted into office.
Farmer shareholders of meat processor Alliance have voted in favour of a proposed $270 million joint venture investment by Irish company, Dawn Meats.
The former chair of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and farmer, Doug Leeder, says rural communities' biggest fear right now is the lack of long-term certainty over environmental regulations.
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