HB suffers while Government on holiday

new-zealand-national-party

Tue Jan 16 2007 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

HB suffers while Government on holiday

Tuesday, 16 January 2007, 3:44 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

Craig Foss
National Party Horticulture Spokesman

16 January 2007

National’s Horticulture spokesman, Craig Foss, is furious about the delay in finally declaring Hawke’s Bay as having a seasonal labour shortage under the Seasonal Work Permit Scheme.

“In November, I called for a shortage to be declared. I knew, growers knew, contractors knew and Pipfruit NZ knew that a shortage was again inevitable.

“Why did Work and Income wait so long? The result is that about 60 days have been lost to organise workers.

“Did the Labour Government think that thousands of willing and able local workers were going to magically appear in Hawke’s Bay between November and now?

“I look forward to the day when Government policy is focused on having Hawke’s Bay’s premium crop harvested, picked, processed and sold at the premium time.
“At present, growers have to plan around a Government bureaucracy that is impossible to align with the real world.

“The good news is that at least the shortage has been declared. The bad news is the unnecessary time pressure on the economy of Hawke’s Bay.”

ENDS

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