Green but not much grass!
Dairy farmers in the lower North Island are working on protecting next season, according to Federated Farmers dairy chair Richard McIntyre, who farms just north of the Horowhenua township of Levin.
"While we would love to hire capable Kiwi workers, there is a shortage of Kiwis willing to do the work because there is a common misperception that agriculture is a low paid and low skilled career," says Willy Leferink, Federated Farmers dairy chairman.
"To help farmers fill this gap with capable and available migrant workers, we have put together one simple document so that employers can follow the immigration process without the headache.
"The package includes important information for migrants wishing to work in New Zealand as well as their employers, who want to follow the correct process. It is an essential pack for farmers employing migrants because it breaks the process down into easy-to-follow steps; effectively it is their one stop shop from both sides of the fence.
"With a shortage of New Zealanders interested in a career in dairy, farmers are more often looking to hire migrants who are keen to make a life for themselves in our country and industry. As our industry grows and migrant interest increases, we need to upgrade our systems to help them get here.
"I am very proud of the sophisticated system Federated Farmers has produced. Farming is an ever evolving business and this is just one example of how the Federation moves and changes with it," says Leferink.
