Philip Gregan: New Zealand Winegrowers CEO on the changes to short-term worker visas

A new short-term worker visa's proving popular within the wine growing industry.  

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford's creating a new subcategory of the Specific Purpose Work Visa to help employers in upcoming seasonal peaks. 

She says the roles can't last longer than nine months and exclude jobs usually covered by the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme like fruit pickers.  

New Zealand Winegrowers CEO Philip Gregan says these changes will make a big difference and are very welcome.  

He says last year they had about 400 of these workers who carry out very specialist roles, and without them they just wouldn't be able to process the grapes. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
More immigration used. Yesterday, this time Erica Stanford was giving
us details of the RC program. This morning we got
a new subcategory to the specific purpose work visa and
New Zeawine Chief Executive Philip Rerigan's with us on all
of this. Philip, morning to you, good morning, good idea
and does it solve a problem?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
A good idea? Yes, practically it solves the problem a
challenge that we've had. So we're very pleased, very pleased.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Good what's it do that it didn't do or you
couldn't do before?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well that there were changes to visa settings last year
which were aimed at controlling the level of immigration into
New Zealand that also impacted short term seasonal workers. What
the government's done is fixed that issue as it were.
We approached the minister a few months ago, had a

(00:50):
good conversation there and she's done what she said she'd
do and provided an avenue for us to get our
short term vintage workers into.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
The She seems on top of a brief Is that
your assessment?

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yes? Yes. When we spoke to her, she was very
aware of the situation we faced and we're very pleased
with the outcome. We couldn't have asked for more frankly.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Good, Is it common sense? What needed fixing? In other words,
do you look at and go this is silly, let's
fix it. Is it that simple?

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Yes? Look, it's just a practical, real world solution to
a problem. And it doesn't endanger the government's overall goals
around immigration or the migration settings that the government has
in place. But it just fixes a real world problem

(01:44):
and we're delighted. Good.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
We were talking to her yesterday about the RC side
of the equation and I asked about the unemployed. Do
you have that issue? I mean, there are plenty of
people unemployed in this country who could allegedly pick grapes.
Is that part of the conversation or the issue or
the angst in the industry or not.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Look, we employ over seven thousand full time in New Zealand,
have seven thousand New Zealanders full time in the industry.
But there are some seasonal peaks. As a regionally based industry,
we just can't source New Zealand and New Zealanders don't
really want to move town, move their family for six
weeks work during vintage. But there are overseas workers who

(02:25):
are experienced in our industry. That's what they do and
the are the people we're targeting here.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
Good stuff, Philip, appreciate it. You have a good weekend,
Philip Gregor news in a one gross chief executive. Isn't
it good to have somebody when you go to and
say there's the problem and she goes, yep, I understand
that and this needs fixing. She goes, yep, I'll do that,
and it's not harda For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast,
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