Industries in NZ desperate for workers, urge Govt to open borders to Pacific

Wellington: Fruit, meat works and food processing industries in New Zealand are calling on the government to open Pacific borders to tackle what they’re calling their worst ever labour crisis.

At a media conference in Napier yesterday, they demanded more help. Apples are rotting on the ground at many orchards. Chestergrove Orchards owner Bruce Mitchell said he could not find enough pickers to pick his royal galas.

“The apple crop that you see here represents 10 to 12 months of planning, investment and work and just days before I came to pick it I had 20 pickers sign up, and at induction two pickers turned up, so we went into crisis mode.”

He said it was the worst his family had ever seen.

“My family’s been involved for over five decades and we’ve never experienced a crisis like this, where we’ve had to walk away from whole blocks of export apples. We’ve got export markets that are crying out for this fruit and we just can’t get it harvested.”

Orchardist John Bostock said the government’s intentions to get Kiwis on board did not work as well as anticipated. He called for a plan from the government - and said they wanted it sooner rather than later, ideally in the next two months harvest.

“We simply haven’t got enough available New Zealanders to do the job. It’s very very tough and we’re calling on the government to open the Pacific, open the borders for Covid-free countries to come and work in New Zealand for next year.”

In Hastings, Progessive Meats founder Craig Hickson said his company was also short of staff. “This has been the most difficult and most challenging, worst experience with regard to having sufficient people at work,” he said.

“We in fact have been short of workers right through the peak lamb season which is a little bit longer than the apple season and we still remain short today.”

At the Watties factory in Hastings, agricultural manager Bruce Mckay said he was also facing difficulties.

“We’re having to deal with erratic supply of product coming to the factory,” he said. “We’re having to deal with staff absenteeisms on a grand scale each day.”

After the Government announced a trans-Tasman bubble on Tuesday some have asked why borders to the Pacific Islands are not open. so they could plan their