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Agstaff, Canstaff and New Zealand Dairy Careers managing director Matt Jones said the need for workers had increased as a result of implications from the Covid-19 outbreak.

“The work does not stop — it’s ramped up as some of our clients in the primary production sector increase production to meet New Zealand’s needs.

“The cows still need milked and the crops must be picked,” Jones said.

He said he had a client in South Canterbury who needed 40 people to start immediately.

“Across the sectors we service, we have hundreds of vacancies, so we’re calling out to all people who might be facing lay-offs as Covid-19 bites.”

Jones said there was work all over New Zealand and he wanted anyone who needed work to contact him.

More information on the jobs could be found on the Agstaff, Canstaff or NZ Dairy Careerswebsites.

“We’ve got lots of vacancies and we can get people into work — many of them immediately.”

Jones said there were more than 600 jobs available in the dairy industry at any point in time and many were filled by international workers.

“As these people may temporarily slow — we need local people who want work to come forward.

“There are many opportunities and we are in touch with hundreds of potential employers.”

Heartland Immigration said dairy farms should now move quickly to keep any migrant workers they had.

Limitations around international travel meant many scheduled arrivals of workers destined to work in dairy farms’ upcoming Gypsy Day move might not be available, Heartland Immigration managing director Mary Noonan said.

“There are a lot of people already here on work visas — the industry needs to ensure visas are renewed to keep experienced workers on our farms,” Noonan said.

Read more here

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Horticulture export revenue is forecast to rise 5.9 percent (excluding wine) for the year ending June 2020 driven mainly by increases in kiwifruit, apple and pear exports.

‘This continues horticulture’s export growth over the last decade’ says HortNZ Chief Executive, Mike Chapman.

‘New Zealand growers produce a high quality, fresh, premium product that consumers want to purchase. This is the key to the continued growth of the industry.

‘For horticulture to continue to prosper like this, it is vital that government policy supports our continued growth. For example, that the proposed freshwater reforms supporting new fruit growing because of its positive impact on freshwater quality and enabling vegetable growers to rotate their crops,’ says Mike.

In addition, HortNZ says the recently launched Primary Sector Council’s vision to align the food and fibre sector will also enable continued growth. 

This vision is based on the concept of taiao – the ecosystem of land, water, air and life – which has been chosen to underpin the holistic nature of the food and fibre sector’s transformation.

‘Taiao embodies how horticulture in New Zealand operates. It speaks to the interconnected relationships of the whole environment and its people. If we can nurture the environment, land and people, our industry will continue to prosper’ says Mike.

Source – Horticulture New Zealand

About Horticulture New Zealand
Horticulture New Zealand is an industry good organisation that represents the interests of approximately 5000 growers. The horticulture industry employs more than 60,000 people and exports to 128 markets. In 2018, the industry was valued at $5.87 billion.

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So far we’ve had a strong interest in the field work that’s available around Canterbury from some of our locals who join us each year and our backpacker friends who get to experience New Zealand farm life while travelling, but we still need more people and for those interested call Andrew McDonald on 021 502 484 to arrange an immediate start time for this season.

From November through until January we’ll be busy with all types of field work and often work with a lot of seed companies some of which get sent seed from overseas to be sowed locally. Throughout this period in this area we work a lot with wheat, barley, canola, radish, and cabbage which we’re prepping for now.

Hopefully the upcoming weather will allow for traditional growing conditions for our clients who we look forward to matching up with some of our keen candidates who are ready to hit the ground running for the summer.

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In that time we’ve seen a lot of changes on the land and also in the recruitment industry including how we work with our clients to bring you a consistent and reliable service. ­­To recap the evolution of minimum wage and how we’ve all worked with that we look back to when we started in 2001 and the minimum wage was $7.70 per hour. We made a decision and thought if a person is not worth $10.00, we don’t employ them so applied the $10 per hour figure as our own minimum.

Since then we’ve had four Prime Ministers and three governments in or the order of Labour, National, and now back to Labour. Since those early days many new provisions have entered the labour market in support of the employee which all carry on-costs. Some of those changes include:

• Health and safety legislation
• Increases in PPE gear and the requirement an employer must supply
• Employees entitled to an extra week leave, (3 weeks to 4 weeks)
• ACC levies continue to rise
• Bereavement leave
• Parental leave
• Stress leave entitlement
• Mondayisation of Waitangi and Anzac Day
• The introduction of Kiwi saver
• and of course, the new domestic violence leave

Based on the above, the on-costs per hour to employ a person has increased by 50% per hour and to top this off the minimum wage has increased by a staggering 230%

So, unfortunately, to cover our employment and business costs we must increase our rates again to $26.00 per hour.

Over this period although our on-costs have increased by 50% and wage rates of 230%, our charge out rate has only increased by 193%

A new change you will need to consider for your permanent staff is Domestic Violence Leave and Flexible Working provisions are also available from this week. These are benefits made available to anyone who has suffered or is supporting a child who has suffered from domestic violence (and that term is defined very widely). The annual benefits provided are up to an additional 10 days paid leave and a right to request up to 2 months on varied days/hours/location.

Recruiting new staff has also seen significant increases in terms of marketing with a huge demand for seasonal staff across NZ. As you know well, we strive not to compromise on the quality of our staff even in the hardest of times as this just creates problems for us all. We endeavour to keep the welfare of our existing staff and the quality of new staff at the utmost standard and for that an increase in price is an apparent necessity.

I will be in contact to make a time to catch up and discuss how Agstaff can continue to offer value and a cost-effective solution for your business and staffing requirements.

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It is such wonderful news that the kiwifruit industry is booming in Tauranga. The rise of the kiwifruit is true a rags to riches story for the Bay, and kiwifruit is set to more than double global sales to $4.5 billion by 2025. As a New Zealander, it is strangely satisfying to see a fruit which is so iconic to New Zealand being given a shot at global domination (of the fruit trade), but will the hopes and dreams for the small furry fruit be dashed by the lack of workers?

A report by Waikato University Professor Frank Scrimgeour completed last year, said worker projections were very strong in the Bay of Plenty. It had 10,762 full time equivalent jobs at that time and predicted there would be an additional 14,329 jobs by 2030 – alongside a 135 per cent increase or $2.4b, GDP contribution.

In previous years, seasonal employers relied heavily on backpackers which were working their way around New Zealand and workers which were granted Regional Seasonal Employer Limited Visa. This means up to 11,100 people a year can apply to work for a recognised seasonal employer in the horticulture and viticulture industries for up to 7 months in any 11-month period – this is open to citizens of most countries.

Sounds great right? So why the shortages? Using Hawke’s Bay orchard crisis as an example, it was recorded that approx 3000 workers were recruited from around the Pacific to work in the area under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, and in the central town of Bostock this year, the RSE workers outnumbered locals and backpackers for the first time. There had actually been a seven percent increase in backpackers to the region in the 12 months prior and Tourism Hawke’s Bay could not explain why there appeared to be fewer willing to work (it could not even be pinned on freedom camping phenomenon, although it was attempted).

The lack of backpackers coming to NZ for seasonal work should surely prompt a change in the RSE process. Major fruit growing outfits, industry experts, and other government agencies will need to get their heads together to figure out the best course of action for the future.

Thirteen years may seem like ample time to gather up near on 15,000 enthusiastic seasonal workers, but in a country which is already suffering a seasonal worker shortage in one of the most beautiful places on the planet, can we really expect to fill these numbers without a revision of the visa processes? We will keep you updated at www.agstaff.co.nz

To apply for seasonal and temporary agricultural jobs, visit our Job Search page

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The Job Passport is largely for NZ based candidates who are eligible to be placed in an overseas market and to date qualified Tradies have been taking full advantage of this offering with the construction boom in London via the new office there. The offer of free flights to London for qualified Tradies has been running throughout March and stay tuned for a local Canterbury promotion with The Rock starting in April which again puts the call out for eligible Tradies to begin working on a guaranteed employment offer. 

Agri-Updates

On the ground Agstaff has almost completed all roguing in the region and is underway with the potato harvest. This year is looking solid after good growing conditions for the bulk of summer and without a prominence of Norwest winds the harvest hasn’t been disrupted or spoiled with overly dusty conditions. The call is still out for staff for the potato harvest and this will continue to be the focus right through until the start of Winter, with some crossover anticipated with the Lily bulbs season. 

Carrot seed is also a backbone product in Mid Canterbury that requires a combination of consistent weather, irrigation and staffing due to the regular demand from overseas markets with Mid Canterbury producing 40 per cent of the worlds hybrid carrot seed, which is great news for staff in the agriculture industry as there is a proven income stability.

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It is such wonderful news that the kiwifruit industry is booming in Tauranga. The rise of the kiwifruit is true a rags to riches story for the Bay, and kiwifruit is set to more than double global sales to $4.5 billion by 2025. As a New Zealander, it is strangely satisfying to see a fruit which is so iconic to New Zealand being given a shot at global domination (of the fruit trade), but will the hopes and dreams for the small furry fruit be dashed by the lack of workers?

A report by Waikato University Professor Frank Scrimgeour completed last year, said worker projections were very strong in the Bay of Plenty. It had 10,762 full time equivalent jobs at that time and predicted there would be an additional 14,329 jobs by 2030 – alongside a 135 per cent increase or $2.4b, GDP contribution.

In previous years, seasonal employers relied heavily on backpackers which were working their way around New Zealand and workers which were granted Regional Seasonal Employer Limited Visa. This means up to 11,100 people a year can apply to work for a recognised seasonal employer in the horticulture and viticulture industries for up to 7 months in any 11-month period – this is open to citizens of most countries.

Sounds great right? So why the shortages? Using Hawke’s Bay orchard crisis as an example, it was recorded that approx 3000 workers were recruited from around the Pacific to work in the area under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, and in the central town of Bostock this year, the RSE workers outnumbered locals and backpackers for the first time. There had actually been a seven percent increase in backpackers to the region in the 12 months prior and Tourism Hawke’s Bay could not explain why there appeared to be fewer willing to work (it could not even be pinned on freedom camping phenomenon, although it was attempted).

The lack of backpackers coming to NZ for seasonal work should surely prompt a change in the RSE process. Major fruit growing outfits, industry experts, and other government agencies will need to get their heads together to figure out the best course of action for the future.

Thirteen years may seem like ample time to gather up near on 15,000 enthusiastic seasonal workers, but in a country which is already suffering a seasonal worker shortage in one of the most beautiful places on the planet, can we really expect to fill these numbers without a revision of the visa processes? We will keep you updated at www.agstaff.co.nz

To apply for seasonal and temporary agricultural jobs, visit our Job Search page

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We hope you enjoyed the Easter weekend. We’ve certainly been having a busy time here with organising staff before my wife gives birth on April 20th. Agstaff have plenty of work on, and have been recruiting lots of staff for our client down south as well as new clients knocking on the door – it’s been a very busy few weeks.

Our clients are all wanting staff while the potatoes are going strong. Dozens of people are making the most of getting the hours in before the weather starts to get wetter again.

Speaking of which, our weather is still failing to cool in alignment with what is expected in March/April, with the temperatures still hitting the mid 20s. We hope this weather holds out a bit longer to keep the May potatoes going.

If you are looking for work or workers, please give us a call. We can help you, whether it’s for three hours or three months, just give us a call.

Blair O’Donnell
0800 AGSTAFF
www.agstaff.co.nz

WWOOFing and volunteering in NZ: What you need to know

For decades, New Zealand has welcomed backpackers who wish to exchange hard graft for accommodation and a decent meal twice a day. Due to a new ERA ruling which states that WWOOFing and volunteering, is in fact illegal, the board-for-wages era has come to an end.

Click here for full story

Government to “take on” farming

With climate change at the forefront of the news recently, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, has rattled farmers with her comment that “the most difficult thing for us to do is to mitigate and offset our agricultural emissions.”

Farming, forestry and agriculture are New Zealand’s biggest industries and also the highest producers of carbon. Last week saw 120 scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meet in Christchurch to discuss the future of farming in New Zealand. Hopefully someone in the room was advocating for farmers and the values this country was built on.

We are all for positive changes but farmers are struggling as it is, without having to deal with time-wasting bureaucracy, meaningless protocols, inspectors and more paper-work to satisfy the suits that run the country. What happens next remains to be seen, we will keep you updated.

Shearathon raises money for suicide help groups

The success of a 24-hour shearathon raising awareness of suicide prevention has virtually blown its organisers off the board.

Hosted at White Rock in North Canterbury, the shearathon pulled in more than $45,000 including close to $18,000 raised in a charity auction after the shearing.

Spokesman Mark Herlihy said the event exceeded any expectation. “We chose to embrace the word prevention as we want to help people before they lose any sense of hope for their future.”

The main objective was to let people know it was okay, no matter what their circumstance, to reach out for help.

More information can be found on the 24-hour-shearathon facebook page.

Check out our job-seeker services

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Willing Workers On Organic Farms or WWOOFing, does sound whole lot like rural slavery involving whip-cracking task masters and a diet of tofu and carrots. However the deal is this – Usually you live with your host and are expected to join in and cooperate with the day to day activities. You work 4-6 hours a day in exchange for accommodation, food and the sharing of knowledge and skills. It has been a hugely popular way for backpackers to have an “authentic” Kiwi experience and for farmers to fill shortage gaps in the agricultural sector.

So why did it end?

Last year, the Labour Inspectorate undertook a series of investigations and found that volunteers and WWOOFers were, in fact, employees. The name given to an employment relationship will not necessarily be determinative of the relationship in law. An agreement between an employer and the worker, that he or she is a volunteer, will not be enough on its own and backpackers can face a hefty fine if they are found to be “volunteering” for a bed.

The Inspectorate clarified guidelines for employers and general manager George Mason warned businesses about disguising employees as “volunteers.” He went on to say “”Businesses cannot evade their obligations as employers by calling their workers volunteers and then simply rewarding them with a bed in a dormitory, food and Wi-Fi rather than a fair wage.” Mason was referring to those employers which exploit the system by not issuing an employment contract. These employers avoid paying a fair wage, holiday and sick pay, as well as avoiding any legal complaints against them.

What does this mean for would-be WWOOFers?

People who visit NZ on the WWOOFer schemes realise that going clubbing in the big cities is not the be-all-and-end-all of a travelling holiday. Most participants want to prove to themselves that they can endure hard, physical labour, and sustain themselves during their travels while having an authentic Kiwi learning experience.

This is still achievable by contacting seasonal recruitment agencies online, but it will certainly pose an issue for those travelling on a holiday visa. When entering NZ on a holiday visa, visitors are meant to spend their time touring or visiting friends or family. They are prohibited from engaging in productive work, which includes any activity that is being undertaken for any gain or reward, such as board and lodging. As a result, a visitor engaging in WWOOFing is working in breach of his or her visa.

If you want to avoid a hefty fine, and deportation, you will need to apply for the correct visa which allows you to work for an employer for actual wages which are paid into your bank account. Employers could deduct reasonable accommodation costs from an employee’s wages provided it was agreed in writing and the deduction was made before wages were paid, eradicating “cash-in-hand” scenarios forevermore.

Is there a loophole for WWOOFERS?

Yes, there is. However, this is a risky option to take. There are still WWOOFER websites which you can join and they will take you on to work. They use the “grey areas” of the government guidelines to allow volunteers to join their farms. For example, a volunteer is deemed as an employee if they are providing labour which commercially benefits the business. All the employer needs to say is that the volunteer is not contributing to their income and hope they are not investigated. This is obviously a spectacularly shady way to work in NZ, with lifelong repercussions for both parties, but it is still an option.

What now?

There are many New Zealand based recruitment agencies which specialise in finding seasonal work on your behalf, and prior to your arrival. Agstaff and Canstaff are two such companies which have assisted many travellers get jobs, help people to source accomodation, and impart general local wisdom to applicants.

There are also a multitude of Immigration Advisor options nationwide. We have provided a list of trusted links below to get you started on your journey to NZ, taking the stress out of the search for reputable companies. Getting to, and working in NZ, is easy when you know how and these people are definitely in the know.

Job Boards:

SEASONAL/PERMANENT EMPLOYERS:

http://www.nzdairycareers.co.nz/

http://www.agstaff.co.nz/

FREE NZ VISA ELIGIBILITY ASSESSMENT:HTTP://HEARTLANDIMMIGRATION.CO.NZ/SELF-ASSESSMENT.HTML

GENERAL IMMIGRATION INFORMATION:

https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas

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