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Daily Digest: July 28, 2020

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Opportunity knocks  How realistic is it to expect former flight attendants or retail staff to become dairy workers or meat processors? Much will depend on the age and physical condition of the people who are signing up to the Government’s $19.3 million recruitment campaign aimed at making up a 10,000 shortfall of workers in the wake of covid-19.
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Undoubtedly, many who are used to working in airline cabins won’t relish an early start in a muddy paddock. But Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor is optimistic many of those who are out of work will be able to transfer their skills across to roles in the primary sector. He points out there will be jobs where people won’t have to get their hands dirty – in science, technology, business management, marketing and research. 

The conversion to the new jobs won’t be overnight, hence the need to extend the length of time skilled migrant workers can remain. And there will be roles that Kiwis will not easily manage to fill such as Muslim Halal processing. But these reservations aside, the multi-million dollar Opportunity Grows Here initiative deserves support.

 

Gerard Hutching

 

 

Mussels and flowers 

Mussel health food company Aroma NZ has bought Christchurch flower growing firm Moffatt’s Flowers and has pledged to continue to expand its fresh cut flowers and house plant varieties.

  

Overcoming the daily struggle 

Taranaki sharemilker and 2019 Dairy Woman of the Year winner Trish Rankin recalls the time when farming just about broke her before she developed a recipe to manage work and family responsibilities.

  

Retraining programme welcomed 

Primary sector industries that are short of workers have welcomed the Government’s push to attract and retrain people who have lost their jobs as a result of covid-19.

 

DOC staff in the gun  

Police are investigating threats against Department of Conservation staff from disgruntled hunters unhappy over the aerial tahr cull. DOC Minister Eugenie Sage has questioned the value of the trophy market. 

 

Pacific workers’ unsure future 

HortNZ is worried about what will happen to the thousands of Pacific Island RSE workers who have elected to stay in New Zealand to do pruning work which will finish in late September. 

 

Tonight on Sarah’s Country 

7.10pm – How are farmers financially tracking on average, what a dairy farm break-even price should be and has this rain penetrated the subsoils to see a positive spring? Joining us to discuss more is Phil Journeaux, Agricultural Economist for AgFirst, following today's webinar presenting their findings from surveying their farmers.  

7.20pm – Fill the fountain, not the drain. Juggling farm work and family responsibilities are a challenge many rural women face. Taranaki sharemilker and 2019 Dairy Woman of the Year winner Trish Rankin will join us to share her top tips for achieving a decent work-life balance.  

7.30pm – Changes are being made to the governance of the FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest after an in-depth review. NZ Young Farmers board chair Ash-Leigh Campbell will join us to discuss how the contest's management will look going forward. 

7.40pm – Cavalier Corporation has committed itself to all-wool carpets and rugs within 12 months to deliver the growing expectations of consumers for sustainable, natural materials. Chief executive officer Paul Alston will join us to discuss how they intend on phasing out the synthetic carpet from their offering.

 

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