Are Kiwis afraid of hard work?

Are Kiwis scared of hard work? I’m starting to think so if stories coming out of bluecollar sectors are anything to go by. First, there were the trades. There were reports in January qualified tradespeople were being snapped up instantly due to high demand. Some employers even offered incentives to attract staff such as higher wages, phones, flexible working hours and company vehicles.

Then there is the ongoing struggle for kiwifruit workers.

It’s a shortage compounded by border closures which have led to

Those who had dropped out to do a trade . . . were almost frowned upon.

a reduction in the number of backpackers and overseas workers available for the industry. Again packhouses are offering workers more money and flexible shifts in an effort to avoid a labour crisis.

And last week we profiled a group of females working in forestry. They love working in the bush but some of those in the group lasted just days or weeks before giving up. Those still there say while it is hard work physically, you also need a strong mindset.

I might be sounding like a boomer here — I’m not — but when I was younger we played outside and on weekends we helped our parents out around the house. If my dad went out on errands it wasn’t uncommon for him to leave us with a list of things to do: Sweep the driveway, pull weeds, mow lawns, vacuum. The list went on.

I may not have enjoyed it, but it taught me that sometimes you do need to put in hard yakka to get rewards — like pocket money or pizza for dinner.

When I reached the end of high school it felt as if everyone was being pushed towards tertiary study. Those who had dropped out to do a trade, or whose class schedule involved mostly tech subjects, were almost frowned upon. But now I think they were the clever ones. They earned while they learned and are student loan-free.

Something needs to be done before these shortages get even worse. We need to ensure the next generations are being pushed to be outside or working around the house on weekends, not inside playing video games or on ipads all evening. We need to ensure studying a trade or even taking a gap year to earn good money packing kiwifruit is a viable and attractive option.

Someone needs to do labourintensive careers. And while it won’t be me, be proud if it is you. Even CEOS need plumbers.