What a deflating experience it was Friday reading watching listening to all those in the horticulture industry responding to the government’s 2,000 Recognised Seasonal worker decision.
The manipulation I would like to think hasn’t passed most of us by.
The shabby and shoddy way these farmers are being treated is really an outrage dressed up as a solution.
They all said basically what they had to say when you’re dealing with the government and afraid to say what you really think for fear of your livelihood being stuffed completely.
The 2,000 workers is a good start, they said. What they really mean is at 2,000, we are at least 11,000 short and you’re delusional view that thousands of unemployed New Zealanders are falling over themselves to climb a ladder and pick apples merely shows what a bunch of ideologically driven unionised sheltered idiots you are.
To be fair to the government, the accommodation incentives are not bad ideas. Even the idea of tossing a grand at a local who hangs in there for six weeks I can probably live with.
But as I tried to explain through stats and facts last week, the simple reality is we require rightly or wrongly large swathes of foreign labour, not just in the fields of this country but in the kitchens, on trucks and tractors, in labs and offices.
Over 660 different job types are on the skills shortage list.
What the government are doing is playing a dangerous game using Covid as an excuse.
We can’t bring in anymore because there isn’t space, they say.
Crap! The miniscule space we’ve set aside and refused to grow isn’t full at the best of times, and they refuse to grow it at all
The industry, in fact, a number of industry’s are falling over themselves, pleading to be allowed to offer their own isolation facilities to expand capacity, and the government keeps saying no. And they say no because it suits their agenda.
They have a gun to the heads of various industries: pay more or you get nothing. They’re trying to reinvent the makeup of the work force and it won’t work because it’s never worked and a pandemic driven smoke screen isn’t changing that.
It’s a crime that a government in an agricultural country is prepared to watch hundreds of millions of dollars of produce potentially rot and waste just to gerrymander their agenda by holding the farmers of this country to ransom.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings.
4 comments:
How do you create a dictatorship and control the masses ? History repeats itself ..... Genesis ch:47 vs:13-26 And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's.21 And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.22 Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.23 Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.24 And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.25 And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.
This is exactly what NZ voted for!
Unfortunately, our unemployed/ students are just not hungry enough obviously- our welfare state makes things far too easy. My understanding is that an ‘employment’ drive sees few turn up, even less for the second day and they are just lazy and mess up. During the war unemployed workers queued every day and in all weathers just for the chance to work- there was daily ‘signing up’. My view is unemployment should be paid for a set short period, signing up should be required weekly with you looking presentable and work ready. Pay a reasonable amount but then without VERY good reason it’s stopped. Work or training are the choices after that period. Work or training need to be a viable and attractive proposition. If you can’t do either then questions need to be asked and solutions found. Unemployment money should require so many hours community work volunteering.That ‘money’ should come in the form of redeemable vouchers for food, clothing, power, fuel- so that children get fed and clothed. There should never be something for nothing. Even solo parents can give a few hours volunteering every week. People must learn personal responsibility but must also have a sense of self worth. It’s just getting worse and worse in NZ. And we MUST do something about gangs and drugs- it’s all tied in together. We can’t keep putting this in the too hard basket.
I totally agree with you Deborah. Hosking is on the money and one of a very small band of media people who calls it like it is, not afraid to go against the mainstream. All power to his arm as he attempts to enlighten us although he is ridiculed by the woke leftist socialist sycophants. I am at a loss to know how you cut through to the majority of New Zealanders to give them a better understanding of the mess this Govt is causing to our economy and once beautiful country. I believe we haven’t seen the half of it yet.
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