Govt allocates 500 spaces in MIQ for skilled workers

The Government has announced 500 spaces a fortnight in managed isolation will be allocated over the next 10 months — the majority for skilled and critical workers.

This will include 2400 workers under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme every month from June.

The Government already has a policy for at least 10 per cent of MIQ spaces to be given to these workers — out of roughly 4500 fortnightly — but this announcement means 500 would be set aside for certain groups on a targeted basis.

The transtasman bubble had freed up more MIQ rooms, allowing more places in managed isolation to be allocated for critical workers, Covid19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said.

“We’re now at the stage in our Covid response where fewer New Zealanders are choosing to come home, which gives us the opportunity to focus MIQ more on bringing in skills to support our economic recovery.”

Under the new policy the 500 rooms would be made available for “large groups” every fortnight.

This included about 300 workers under the RSE scheme every month from June — with 2400 arriving by March 2022.

Another 240 specialised construction workers between June and October, 400 international students in June (out of the 1000 previously announced), and 100 refugees every six weeks from July.

Hipkins said it was “great news” for the construction sector and would help deliver critical infrastructure work.

“We’ve also renewed border exceptions for shearers, rural mobile plant machinery operators and essential travellers to and from the Pacific.”

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said the moves would provide the agriculture, horticulture and viticulture sectors the additional workforce they needed, with continued worker shortages despite training and upskilling New Zealanders.

The extra 2400 more RSE workers in time for next summer’s harvest season and pruning this winter were in addition to the 7300 RSE workers currently in the country, including the 2000 the Government approved to support the horticulture and viticulture industries during the recent summer harvest season, he said.

Exceptions have also been agreed for 40 more shearers and 125 rural mobile plant machinery operators for the 2021/2022 season, subject to labour conditions, he said.

Around 20,000 vouchers will be made available in the online Managed Isolation Allocation System over the next three months for New Zealanders wanting to return home, he said.

Act Party leader David Seymour has said the Government should have had a plan ready to go ahead of the transtasman bubble.

“You can’t keep having the attitude of ‘better late than never’ when being late is causing so much pain to business owners, causing delays to important projects and left families separated.

“There was no need for us to miss the entire 2020 season as the Government stood by watching fruit rotting on the ground.”

Seymour said more work needed to be done to utilise all MIQ spaces. This week there would be 1798 empty MIQ rooms, a similar number to last week, he said.