Sensible regulations means making it work for all NZers
Two big questions exist surrounding the Government's consultations on land use and freshwater quality, explains HortNZ chief executive Mike Chapman.
While we're on the topic of a higher minimum wage, Horticulture NZ chief Mike Chapman is a clear thinker on this, cutting through the bulldust coming out of Wellington.
Obviously, the horticulture industry, like dairying, is hard-hit by labour shortages, so if Chapman believed a higher minimum wage would help address the shortage he’d be in favour.
However, Chapman says the Government line that lifting the base wage is going to create a high wage economy is faulty thinking.
“It’s pure economic fallacy that driving up wages will magically transform NZ; that it will get rid of low paid and what they see as ‘unskilled jobs’, so creating a highly paid work force that does not have to do what [the Government] considers to be unskilled work”.
The theory goes that higher wages leads to increased labour productivity therefore the employer recoups the higher wage cost.
Sweden's milk war is now being played out on television.
The proposal to relocate Auckland Port to Northland continues to float in open waters.