Two takes on S Canty issues
Gareth Morgan leader of The Opportunities Party. Steven Joyce minister of finance
From education to waterways and the demand for migrant workers, Cabinet Minister Steven Joyce and political newcomer Gareth Morgan have very different ideas on how to solve key problems facing South Canterbury. Morgan, the leader of The Opportunities Party (TOP), and Finance Minister Joyce both answered questions about issues while in Timaru to speak to the public and the region’s business leaders on Thursday. When it came to the Ara Institute of Canterbury, which is cutting five primary industries courses in Timaru, Joyce supported providing local industries with what they wanted, while Morgan said it was an example of why the education system should be revamped. Despite the National Party proposing changes to New Zealand’s immigration laws, Joyce also said he was opposed to other parties wanting to severely cut immigration. Joyce was in Timaru to speak at a lunch for Chamber of Commerce members, while philanthropist Gareth Morgan was in town to speak to the public about his party, formed last year. The National Party was putting a lot of effort into ‘‘getting things right’’ on immigration, Joyce said.
He acknowledged the region’s reliance on migrant workers and said proposed changes to the Essential Skills visa hopefully would not make it harder for migrants to settle. ‘‘That would be challenging for South Canterbury.’’
The proposals would mean migrant workers being forced to apply for student visas for their children, and pay high international student fees so they could attend school.
Federated Farmers South Canterbury president Mark Adams said this month he believed South Canterbury had one of the lowest unemployment rates in New Zealand, making the region reliant on immigrant labour.
The Government was trying to strike a balance on immigration, and being ‘‘straightforward’’ with migrant families about their chances of staying in New Zealand long-term, Joyce said.
Morgan said there was ‘‘far too much immigration of low-skilled migrants’’. Skilled workers would still be able to settle in South Canterbury under TOP’s policies, but unskilled ones would be ‘‘for the chop’’, he said.
Concerning waterways, Morgan said his party had two policies for water contamination and water allocation, with contamination rules based on a ‘‘polluter pays’’ theory. ‘‘The community would decide what a tolerable level of nitrate leaching was,’’ he said.
Environment Canterbury said earlier this year South Canterbury had four rivers containing toxic algae, which some have blamed on farming. Farmers leaching more than considered tolerable would pay a penalty, and farms leaching less than the maximum
level would receive money in the form of a ‘‘feebate’’, Morgan said.
TOP was about to officially unveil its water allocation policy, through which commercial users would be able to pay for consents to take a percentage of water from a waterway. Companies could tender for the water, which would generate ‘‘a bit of revenue’’.
Joyce’s ideas on improving waterways were more traditional and involved working with farmers on best management practices, fencing waterways, irrigation schemes and the upcoming national policy statement on fresh water.
It was important the Government looked after fresh water without affecting agriculture in a way that caused job losses in a place like Timaru.
Environment Canterbury was striking a balance between encouraging growth and protecting the environment. ‘‘It’s entirely doable,’’ he said. Joyce, former Tertiary Education Minister, said when it came to Ara, it was a matter of taking account of what the Timaru community wanted.
The Timaru District Council appeared to be committed to the institute, he said.
‘‘I’ll be listening to the local industries.’’
Getting young people into apprenticeships was also important.
Morgan was unfamiliar with Ara, but said cuts to the courses were an example of the current ‘‘bums on seats’’ model of tertiary education not working.
He would like the school and tertiary education systems overhauled, with a focus on more accessible education for New Zealand students, rather than trying to attract students from overseas.