Thursday, 30 September 2021 15:25

New visa some relief for rural communities

Written by  Staff Reporters
RWNZ board member Sharron Davie-Martin. RWNZ board member Sharron Davie-Martin.

The Government’s announcement of the 2021 Resident Visa will provide some welcome relief to rural communities, says Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ).

“Today’s announcement of the one-off 202 Resident Visa, which creates residence pathways for approximately 9,000 primary industry workers, is excellent news and will relieve some of the stress in our rural communities,” says RWNZ board member Sharron Davie-Martin.

Davie-Martin says that RWNZ understands the one-off visa will support workers elsewhere in New Zealand in retail, teaching, health care, construction and aged care which she says must be a great reassurance to all migrant workers and their families.

“However, RWNZ is acutely aware of the pressure on the health and well-being of rural communities caused by stressed migrant workers and staff shortages.

“Relieving some of the stress with this one off solution is great, although we still need resolutions for the chronic staff shortages many rural communities still face.

“The 2021 Resident Visa is a positive move by the Government – we now look forward to further progress on long term solutions for a sustainable primary industry workforce,” says Davie-Martin.

More like this

Featured

Expo scales to new heights

Engaging, thought provoking speakers, relevant seminars and relatable topics alongside innovative produces and services are the order of the day at the 2026 East Coast Farming Expo.

New target 'political theatre'

OPINION: Farmers are being asked to celebrate a target that changes nothing for the climate, wastes taxpayer money, and ignores real science.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Red faced

OPINION: The Greens have taken the high moral ground on the Palestine issue and been leading political agitators in related…

Cold comfort

One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter