Picking winners?
OPINION: Every time politicians come up with an investment scheme where they're going to have a crack at 'picking winners' with our money, the Hound cringes.
OPINION: Your canine crusader reckons the recent immigration reset by the Government, restricting the inflow of 'low-skilled' migrant workers into the country, is not only myopic and ideological but also poorly thought-out policy.
The union powerbrokers - who run and control the Labour Party - mistakenly believe that turning off the tap to 'low-skilled' migrants will see all the vacant jobs in the horticulture, farming and other sectors suddenly filled by hordes of 'hard working' unemployed Kiwis.
That is fanciful.
One only has to look at the evidence from last year, when Covid closed our borders, and the number of unharvested apples, kiwifruit and grapes that were left to rot, and the rural contractors who could not get tractor drivers.
Those with the mistaken belief that all migrant workers coming to NZ to work on farms are 'low-skilled' should take a good look at this year's NZ Dairy Industry Awards winners!
According to the latest Federated Farmers banking survey, farmers are more satisfied with their bank and less under pressure, however, the sector is well short of confidence levels seen last decade.
Farmer confidence has taken a slight dip according to the final Rabobank rural confidence survey for the year.
Former Agriculture Minister and Otaki farmer Nathan Guy has been appointed New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy (SATE).
Alliance Group has commissioned a new heat pump system at its Mataura processing plant in Southland.
Fonterra has slashed another 50c off its milk price forecast as global milk flows shows no sign of easing.
Meat processors are hopeful that the additional 15% tariff on lamb exports to the US will also come off.