Loosened migration rules welcomed
MEAT PROCESSING: Facing severe staff shortages, the sector says modified rules should make a difference
We struggle to fill roles and the meat processing sector is approximately 2000 employees short at present. — Sirma Karapeeva, Meat Industry Association
The meat-processing sector is welcoming the Government’s loosening of rules around pay and immigration regulations. The Government’s new sector agreement with the industry includes access to migrant workers for entrylevel red meat processing roles at $24 per hour, with a cap on the number of visas.
This will be replaced with a Pacific programme from 2024.
Migrants taking up these places will receive seven-month visas and the wage threshold will be updated each year to reflect changes in the median wage, to maintain its relative value.
Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said it was a positive step forward.
“Labour shortages have been a significant issue for the meatprocessing sector for some time so this agreement is a welcome boost to our own domestic recruitment efforts.
“Without sufficient employees, processors cannot run plants to the desired capacity, fully process all products and capture the maximum value.”
A lacked of skilled workers in the industry would deprive processors and farmers of revenue, and rural communities and the New Zealand economy of income, she said.
“Meat processors are predominantly based in the regions, so enabling [them] to operate at their desired capacity will provide additional money to the communities where they are located.”
The industry was committed to training and employing New Zealanders first, and was working closely with the Ministry for Social Development and regional agencies to recruit people from local communities to work in plants, Karapeeva said.
“However, we struggle to fill roles and the meat processing sector is approximately 2000 employees short at present.
“That means we must recruit a limited number of people from overseas. Less than 5 per cent of our workforce is from abroad.
“Ultimately, labour shortages mean fewer shifts and training opportunities for New Zealand workers.”
The meat industry will be seeking assurances that any visas for overseas migrants will be processed “without undue delay”, Karapeeva said.
“We also look forward to working with the Government on Workforce Transition Plans and Industry Transformation Plans.”
She said the meat processing sector was New Zealand’s largest manufacturing industry, employing 25,000 people.
“The measures announced by the Government will help us unlock further value and deliver even greater benefits to the New Zealand economy.” ■