Thursday, March 28, 2024

Spotlight on Labour

Spotlight on Labour

About this special report

The primary industries need at least 15,000 workers but employers who are already struggling to recruit staff will now find it even more difficult, with new government policy slashing immigration and forecasts that regional depopulation will accelerate. Farmers Weekly speaks to key industry players about the challenges, how they’re navigating it and what they need from the government.
Gore District Mayor Tracy Hicks poses in the town's main street.

Exile on Main Street

Farmers Weekly journalists Richard Rennie and Neal Wallace investigate how two different districts, Opotiki and Gore, are trying to encourage new workers and address an ageing workforce while facing a static or falling population.
Opotiki Mayor Lyn Riesterer sitting in a park.

Opotiki labour predictions no cause for concern

Officials charged with boosting rural employment in the Opotiki district doubt predictions the district will suffer a labour…


Locals need schools to match jobs

Locals need schools to match jobs

The primary sector has some challenges to overcome about how it is perceived before it can successfully engage…
Brett Wootten leans on a crate of picked kiwifruit.

Tough road for kiwifruit’s eastern BoP growth

Long-time Opotiki kiwifruit grower and contractor Brett Wooten is finding this season more challenging than ever over harvest,…
Gore District Mayor Tracy Hicks poses in the town's main street.

Filling vacancies still a challenge

Gore has 90 job vacancies, a problem that is becoming more pronounced and shows no sign of going…
Dairy farmers Jason Herrick and Macoy Iguana.

Sector forced to get by with fewer workers

Dairy farmers are giving up trying to recruit new workers, says a Southland farmer. Jason Herrick, who farms…
Drivers getting in to the cabs of their trucks lined up in a row.

A vocation worth promoting

The head of one of the country’s largest transport groups is urging the education system to promote vocational…
Headshot of Willie Wiese

Industry jobs still a hard sell

The days of advertising job vacancies and then sifting through the applicants are gone for large rural employers…