Are NZers too lazy for labourers’ work?
With the almost constant pleadings from restaurants, orchardists, farmers, etc, for Government to open the borders to allow ‘skilled’ labourers to come in, one could be forgiven for wondering if the residents of New Zealand are unemployable or too lazy to work.
I am sure this is not the case, and there are any number of unemployed New Zealand citizens willing and able to work.
There are two problems as I see it. First is the often seasonal nature of the work and second the difficulties presented by WINZ when workers come off then go back on to a benefit. Neither of these reasons exempt the employers from training staff to become ‘skilled’ and paying well enough that people can actually benefit, perhaps incentivised to do so by government.
I do wonder why those who have in the past come into the country to fill these positions have been regarded as more employable, or is it they are so desperate for paid work they are paid a pittance and make no demands for good working conditions? Why are we paying so many young people to sit at home doing nothing when they could be filling these roles?
Perhaps it should be a condition of receiving a benefit? Why is our education system not more practical in the courses they are teaching? As an example, I believe Whanga¯rei Boys’ High School no longer has its trade carpentry course geared toward building houses — well where is the good in that when the country is crying out for carpenters to build houses? The employment minister and the education minister both need to initiate a major shake up within their systems and an overhaul of our benefit system is desperately needed.
G Thompson Hikurangi
What’s the objective?
I’m confused by the discussion about Ma¯ori wards in the media. Could someone please explain to me what the call for them is all about? It surely can’t be about representation. Eight of the 10 councillors of the Far North District council can claim Ma¯ori ethnicity, as can a quarter of Cabinet in our Government in addition to many back-benchers and the seven Ma¯ori seats.
What on earth can the objective for Ma¯ori wards be?
John Matthews,
Mangonui
Bain stand supported
Ex-councillor John Bain is to be highly commended for his stand against racial privilege. Those councillors who supported the chairman of the Northland Regional Council in setting up Ma¯ori wards show their complete ignorance of our history and a rejection of the system agreed to by the chiefs who, in signing the Treaty, accepted completely the sovereignty of the Crown and the Westminster System of governance and jurisprudence. For that Ma¯ori were guaranteed the rights of all other Crown subjects and no more. No partnership, no special treatment. Ma¯ori wards are a perversion of that system.
Bryan Johnson Omokoroa
State houses
Well done and a big shout out to Kainga Ora for not backing down to the ongoing opposition to the build of state houses beside Puriri Park. You have consent and all over NZ there is a massive urgency to address the housing shortage and combat homelessness for an ever growing number. It is only by constantly building a variety of more houses that a difference will be made.
Marie Kaire Ngararatunua