Accommodation issues for staff are pressing

I WAS born and bred in the high country of the Upper Clutha. I have farmed most of my working life. I was rather astonished recently to hear on the local radio Allan Dippie pointing out that his company, Central Machine Hire, would take on more labour if there was more ‘‘affordable housing’’ available. It seems ironic that the same man is, in all probability, in the best position of anyone in Otago (but not excluding some other developers operating currently) to supply such affordable housing.

To put this into context, I cast my mind back to life as it used to be. On farms, and particularly the isolated high country stations, workers on the property were housed in housing or ‘‘quarters’’ — at no cost. Furthermore, these workers were fed, or at least supplied with meat and often vegetables as well — again at no cost.

Call it what you like, but the cost of doing business includes looking after your workers. When all of the living wage doesn’t meet the cost of living, something has to give.

Mr Dippie, show some leadership, set an example to others, make a name for yourself, earn some respect and build some housing on your developments and give it to your workers. You might find some unexpected benefits come from this, including having a queue of people looking for work.

Jerry Rowley

Wanaka [Abridged]

[Allan Dippie replies:

‘‘Strangely enough, I have not been talking on local radio regarding affordable housing. What may be confusing Mr Rowley is the Wanaka App did carry a story late last year regarding the creative ways we are finding to help ease staff accommodation issues. These measures include transportation, staff housing, site accommodation and assistance with firsthome ownership.

There are many businesses facing issues with staff shortages and that article was also about the shortage of people in a thriving economy, which is arguably at full, or near full, employment. There is a shortage of people in all areas and at all skill levels, and trying to solve the challenges around that is something nearly all companies are facing.

In regards to our company’s involvement with affordable housing, it seems ironic to me that Mr Rowley obviously doesn’t realise what is going on in the township near where he was raised.

Timsfield, at Lake Hawea, is arguably one of the region’s most successful affordable housing projects with over 300 sections now completed or under construction. Seventyseven new sections were completed last year and sold to families who qualified for first preference under a criteria we have aimed to assist, particularly, firsthome buyers and working families.

New houses on those sections continue to pop up like mushrooms and this year a substantive number of new sections are well under way and we are also completing several new home builds, some of them for our own staff but not necessarily so.

In Luggate, a similar project is happening and we delivered the first 40 entry level sections in late 2018 with the first of those houses now nearing completion — the large majority for young working families.

We do realise what we are doing doesn’t solve all issues and isn’t for all situations but it is certainly helping.

As with anything, Mr Rowley, it always pays to have the facts in your sights, before you shoot.’’]