Spotlight on Labour
About this special report
The primary industries need at least 15,000 workers but employers who are already struggling to recruit staff will now find it even more difficult, with new government policy slashing immigration and forecasts that regional depopulation will accelerate.
Farmers Weekly speaks to key industry players about the challenges, how they’re navigating it and what they need from the government.
Exile on Main Street
Farmers Weekly journalists Richard Rennie and Neal Wallace investigate how two different districts, Opotiki and Gore, are trying to encourage new workers and address an ageing workforce while facing a static or falling population.
Opotiki labour predictions no cause for concern
Officials charged with boosting rural employment in the Opotiki district doubt predictions the district will suffer a labour…
Locals need schools to match jobs
The primary sector has some challenges to overcome about how it is perceived before it can successfully engage…
Tough road for kiwifruit’s eastern BoP growth
Long-time Opotiki kiwifruit grower and contractor Brett Wooten is finding this season more challenging than ever over harvest,…
Filling vacancies still a challenge
Gore has 90 job vacancies, a problem that is becoming more pronounced and shows no sign of going…
Sector forced to get by with fewer workers
Dairy farmers are giving up trying to recruit new workers, says a Southland farmer. Jason Herrick, who farms…
A vocation worth promoting
The head of one of the country’s largest transport groups is urging the education system to promote vocational…
Industry jobs still a hard sell
The days of advertising job vacancies and then sifting through the applicants are gone for large rural employers…
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