Wednesday, 16 February 2022 07:55

Aussie's loss is NZ's gain

Written by  Leo Argent
Australia fears a shortage of shearers after New Zealand shearers return home once our borders reopen. Australia fears a shortage of shearers after New Zealand shearers return home once our borders reopen.

In a twist on the usual formula, Australia fears a shortage of shearers in that country after New Zealand shearers return home once our borders reopen.

With NZ's border opening up but Western Australia's tightening, many Kiwi shearers who were in Australia when our borders were locked down in March 2020 will now have the opportunity to return home - without needing an MIQ slot.

However, many who choose to return home to NZ will find it difficult, if not impossible, to return to Western Australia. New Zealand's borders will open to fully vaccinated Kiwis and other permanent residents travelling from Australia starting from February 27. However, despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison's plan for Australia's borders to open internationally on February 21, Western Australia is going a different way. That state is taking a tighter approach to regional travel and capping foreign visitors at 265 people a week following an Omicron outbreak.

NZ shearer Aromia Ngarangioni told Australia's ABC that about 60% of shearers currentl working in Western Australia are from New Zealand.

Like many, she has not seen her home since early 2020, when she returned to NZ for her mother's funeral.

It is likely many similar stories will be found among other returning NZ shearers, homesick or having business back home to sort out.

However, there is concern in Western Australia about the impact this will have on their sheep industry. With an exodus of talented shearers and border restrictions (both international and regional) making it difficult to find suitable employees, there are fears a shearer shortage could further impact an already stressed industry.

Shearing contractor Greg McAtamney runs several teams in the Great Southern region of WA.

"I'll probably lose six to eight people straight away, maybe more. That's an entire team," he told the ABC.

McAtamney says if this happens, he doesn't expect to meet farmers' needs for shearers at a crucial time of the year.

"A lot of sheep are due to lamb in April or May, so they need to be shorn four to six weeks before that for animal welfare reasons," he said.

Meanwhile, WA Liberal upper house member Steve Martin told the ABC the feared shearer exodus could make an already stressed industry worse.

"They [the shearers] work longer and longer hours," he said. "The farmers get their shearing dates pushed back."

A WA state government spokesperson said it was working closely with industry to manage the shearer shortage.

More like this

A big win for wool!

State-owned social housing provider Kainga Ora is switching to wool carpet for its new homes.

Editorial: Making wool great again

OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.

Featured

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

A step too far

OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…

Save us from SAFE

OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter