The Government has announced a new immigration pathway for essential seasonal workers.
It has created a new subcategory of the Specific Purpose Work Visa - to help employers in upcoming seasonal peaks.
Roles must pay at least $29.66 per hour, and offer at least 30 hours each week.
EMA's Alan McDonald says these changes will be welcomed by the business sector.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, the Immigration Minister, Erica Stanford has just finished giving
a speech in Auckland. She's announced a new visa for
seasonal workers to deal with upcoming worker shortages. They have
to be paid at least twenty nine dollars sixty six,
cannot work for more than nine months. And don't get
this confused with the extended fruit pick of visas that's
already been announced. This is something else. She's also laid
out her vision of a smart immigration system, trying to
(00:21):
balance the need for workers with more sustainable migration. Now
Alan McDonald from the AMA was listening to the speech.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Hi Allen, Hi hell.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
There were suspicions that she was going to crack down
on migrants in this speech.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Has she No, she hasn't, And I think the way
she outlined thinks will be pretty much good news for
the business sector and our members certainly will welcome some
of the initiatives that she talked about today.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
So she has though, encouraged New Zealanders to start training
up New Zealanders to work to work in their businesses.
Is that right?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Yeah? She has in a group of labor ministers that
includes Louise Upston and also book Lan Velle and their challenge,
and it's come from the primes to two, is that, look,
while you've had access to immigrants and skilled labor, we
really want you to train up more kiwis and get
(01:12):
some of those people off the job seekers and they're
non employment and training services, those eighteen to twenty four
year olds. And I think it's a justifiable challenge, but
we still need some support to help train those people
up and she outlined a pathway to do that too.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
What is the pathway?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
So when they've done the work on the Credited Employer
Work Visa Scheme the AAWZ, and that should be wrapped
up by the end of this year, they're going to
look at the skilled migrant pathways to permanent residents because
at the moment that's heavily weighted towards the professions and
university degrees, and they're going to look at putting more
weighting on the trades and the skills that are trained
(01:49):
in those trades so that we can bring in more
of those people to train up our own people and
get them through into that skilled tradeing category.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
It's a very different approach to how labor approached this, right,
It's a lot more hold the hands of the employer
rather than crack down. I imagine that this is welcome.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah, it will be because our members are telling us,
and it's across many sectors too, that they just simply
don't have the skilled people that they need to train
up more apprentices and those sorts of things. In fact,
we heard from Rodney Wayne today about the shortage of
hairdresses which many people really suffered through COVID. With that,
so you know, it's a much more nuanced approach and
that will be the same with the Accredited Work visa
(02:29):
when they work through that. It's to give it more
direction and more focused rather than a broad brush approach.
So I think it's a recognition we are short in
some areas, but we do need to put more for
employers into that training and working with MSD, we're getting
some outstanding results at the moment.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Just on the new visa for the seasonal workers is helpful.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Yes, I think it will be because it goes wider
than just the heart sector and the viticulture sector. So
for one of the examples was the Seafield's bringing in
ski instructors and maybe even the people to support the
steafields in the cafes and things like that. I think
it could apply to the meat industry, which is highly
(03:10):
seasonal of course, and maybe even if you look at
the start of the construction season, like the road work
season coincides with for better weather, so we're short in construction.
Maybe that's an option there for them as well. So
some good things from.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
There, Alan, Before I let you go, just want to
quick take on what do you make of the changes
to the Companies Act. You like what you're seeing, Yeah, we.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Do like what we're saying. That particular provision around having
the director's home addresses available that wasn't great. And if so,
there's something they can do around those Phoenix companies, which
I know is a real bug ber for people losing
money in the construction sector. You know, they liquidate one
day and they reserve somewhere else doing another development under
a similar name. That that sort of behavior is something
that they can address. That that's good.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Yeah, good stuff, Hey, Alan, thank you so much appreciated,
Alan McDonald or the amad the changes. This is Andrew Bailey,
the Minister for Commers and Consumer Affairs, who's been looking
into some changes in the Companies Act as as Alan
was just saying it would take the identifying details of
the shareholders and the directors, perhaps off the register which
is public. Also changes around major transactions it would, you know,
(04:10):
would be things like only the capital structure of a company,
or rather things related solely to the capital structure of
a company like the shares issues and the buybacks and
the dividends and redemptions would not be considered major transactions.
Update aspects of the law so things can be done online,
more things rather than manually expanding how the New Zealand
business number is used and then introducing new changes to
insolvency law and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
For more from Heather Duplessy Alan Drive, listen live to
news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
Now, the Immigration Minister, Erica Stanford has just finished giving
a speech in Auckland. She's announced a new visa for
seasonal workers to deal with upcoming worker shortages. They have
to be paid at least twenty nine dollars sixty six,
cannot work for more than nine months. And don't get
this confused with the extended fruit pick of visas that's
already been announced. This is something else. She's also laid
out her vision of a smart immigration system, trying to
(00:21):
balance the need for workers with more sustainable migration. Now
Alan McDonald from the AMA was listening to the speech.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Hi Allen, Hi hell.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
There were suspicions that she was going to crack down
on migrants in this speech.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Has she No, she hasn't, And I think the way
she outlined thinks will be pretty much good news for
the business sector and our members certainly will welcome some
of the initiatives that she talked about today.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
So she has though, encouraged New Zealanders to start training
up New Zealanders to work to work in their businesses.
Is that right?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Yeah? She has in a group of labor ministers that
includes Louise Upston and also book Lan Velle and their challenge,
and it's come from the primes to two, is that, look,
while you've had access to immigrants and skilled labor, we
really want you to train up more kiwis and get
(01:12):
some of those people off the job seekers and they're
non employment and training services, those eighteen to twenty four
year olds. And I think it's a justifiable challenge, but
we still need some support to help train those people
up and she outlined a pathway to do that too.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
What is the pathway?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
So when they've done the work on the Credited Employer
Work Visa Scheme the AAWZ, and that should be wrapped
up by the end of this year, they're going to
look at the skilled migrant pathways to permanent residents because
at the moment that's heavily weighted towards the professions and
university degrees, and they're going to look at putting more
weighting on the trades and the skills that are trained
(01:49):
in those trades so that we can bring in more
of those people to train up our own people and
get them through into that skilled tradeing category.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
It's a very different approach to how labor approached this, right,
It's a lot more hold the hands of the employer
rather than crack down. I imagine that this is welcome.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah, it will be because our members are telling us,
and it's across many sectors too, that they just simply
don't have the skilled people that they need to train
up more apprentices and those sorts of things. In fact,
we heard from Rodney Wayne today about the shortage of
hairdresses which many people really suffered through COVID. With that,
so you know, it's a much more nuanced approach and
that will be the same with the Accredited Work visa
(02:29):
when they work through that. It's to give it more
direction and more focused rather than a broad brush approach.
So I think it's a recognition we are short in
some areas, but we do need to put more for
employers into that training and working with MSD, we're getting
some outstanding results at the moment.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Just on the new visa for the seasonal workers is helpful.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Yes, I think it will be because it goes wider
than just the heart sector and the viticulture sector. So
for one of the examples was the Seafield's bringing in
ski instructors and maybe even the people to support the
steafields in the cafes and things like that. I think
it could apply to the meat industry, which is highly
(03:10):
seasonal of course, and maybe even if you look at
the start of the construction season, like the road work
season coincides with for better weather, so we're short in construction.
Maybe that's an option there for them as well. So
some good things from.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
There, Alan, Before I let you go, just want to
quick take on what do you make of the changes
to the Companies Act. You like what you're seeing, Yeah, we.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Do like what we're saying. That particular provision around having
the director's home addresses available that wasn't great. And if so,
there's something they can do around those Phoenix companies, which
I know is a real bug ber for people losing
money in the construction sector. You know, they liquidate one
day and they reserve somewhere else doing another development under
a similar name. That that sort of behavior is something
that they can address. That that's good.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Yeah, good stuff, Hey, Alan, thank you so much appreciated,
Alan McDonald or the amad the changes. This is Andrew Bailey,
the Minister for Commers and Consumer Affairs, who's been looking
into some changes in the Companies Act as as Alan
was just saying it would take the identifying details of
the shareholders and the directors, perhaps off the register which
is public. Also changes around major transactions it would, you know,
(04:10):
would be things like only the capital structure of a company,
or rather things related solely to the capital structure of
a company like the shares issues and the buybacks and
the dividends and redemptions would not be considered major transactions.
Update aspects of the law so things can be done online,
more things rather than manually expanding how the New Zealand
business number is used and then introducing new changes to
insolvency law and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
For more from Heather Duplessy Alan Drive, listen live to
news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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