Wood doubles working holiday-maker cap to 24,000 and extends visas of those already here; Median wage rules relaxed for aged care, meat works, construction, seafood and adventure tourism
Today’s Dawn Chorus was bracing start to the week! Thank you. And thanks very much for the Will O’Dowd Lunar link. Very beautiful and full of tenderness. (My favourite view of Turing is from Neal Stephenson’s novel Cryptonomicon; this one is more human and tender.)
The most important working holiday schemes are uncapped - UK, USA, Germany etc. Prior to Covid, over 60,000 young visitors came to NZ every year on working holiday visas. They worked predominantly in horticulture, agriculture, tourism and hospitality. The measures announced yesterday are good, but what is needed now is a major promotional campaign to get young workers here for summer - Australia is already doing this.
Loved The Lunar Dispatch blog post on Turing and his friend. Also the test for aliveness. That chat bot seems rather self serving and not at all trustworthy! See the cool headed way it considered killing its interlocutor.
The article about productivity in the Sunday Times observes that “according to OECD figures, New Zealanders have to work 10.7 hours a day longer to produce the same amount as their world-leading Irish counterparts”: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/300665457/its-no-laughing-matter-poor-productivity-affects-all-new-zealanders It seems intuitively prudent that the Gov’t/RBNZ strategy of limiting immigration and increasing minimum wages will surely put pressure on business and farmers to invest in assets to increase productivity.
It would be interesting for Bernard to lead discussion focusing attention on the alternative approaches to achieving higher productivity rather than on the gloom and doom relating to the shortages of low-cost labour. The opposition seems to believe NZ should continue to import cheap labour to keep wages down as a way of combating inflation. Clearly this is the reason why we have dropped down the OECD productivity ranks over the years. On the other hand the Govt’s strategy seems to be to push the wages up so as to encourage business owners invest in technology improvements. Perhaps they will also need to provide financial incentives to businesses who invest in technology that can demonstrate a significant increase in productivity.
Hi Bernard, have the podcasts changed format? Not getting them pushed through to my podcast app. Also, what are your thoughts on the purchase of KiwiBank?
very saddening to see on Sunday TV program that some RSE workers from Pacific countries are being massively ripped off. Any chance of investigating this thoroughly with applicable government ministers Bernard?
Nailed it Bernard, with the cost of living comments. There might be the odd young working holiday maker that doesn't think to look at rental costs before they buy their ticket, but the majority will look at whether or not it's feasible. Rentals are too expensive, especially for anyone considering a working holiday. It'll be all work and no holiday for these young people and they'll be bitter/feel used, sounds fun :-/ Perhaps NZ business & government is hoping to get young Europeans fleeing the winter energy shortage there?
Still reflecting on your Dawn Chorus, Bernard (as permitted by my diary). My simple-minded question concerns the trade off that recent NZ governments have made between making decisions that benefit citizens or various groups within society, such as the children of the poor, or low-waged workers, or unpaid workers doing important care work, and voters, predominantly middle-aged, middle-class property owners. How can we allow the latter group to benefit at the cost of our poorest and most disadvantaged citizens?
What is the purpose of a government- to stay in power or to assist citizens? (Sorry to sound as though I am fomenting the French revolution all over again, but the concept of citizen is important.) I believe it is the latter. Further, do we want a low-wage economy or a productive one? Once again, the latter.
Governments need to have the courage to lead. Opening the tap of low-wage temporary immigration deals only with the symptoms, not the cause. If neither Red nor Blue has courage to address our issues with low productivity and hides behind inflation, we won’t make progress on this problem. I don’t want us to be a housing market with a small economy attached in 10 years’ time.
Today’s Dawn Chorus was bracing start to the week! Thank you. And thanks very much for the Will O’Dowd Lunar link. Very beautiful and full of tenderness. (My favourite view of Turing is from Neal Stephenson’s novel Cryptonomicon; this one is more human and tender.)
The most important working holiday schemes are uncapped - UK, USA, Germany etc. Prior to Covid, over 60,000 young visitors came to NZ every year on working holiday visas. They worked predominantly in horticulture, agriculture, tourism and hospitality. The measures announced yesterday are good, but what is needed now is a major promotional campaign to get young workers here for summer - Australia is already doing this.
“And so it has come to pass”, rather Biblical Bernard.
Patrick Medlicott
Loved The Lunar Dispatch blog post on Turing and his friend. Also the test for aliveness. That chat bot seems rather self serving and not at all trustworthy! See the cool headed way it considered killing its interlocutor.
The article about productivity in the Sunday Times observes that “according to OECD figures, New Zealanders have to work 10.7 hours a day longer to produce the same amount as their world-leading Irish counterparts”: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/300665457/its-no-laughing-matter-poor-productivity-affects-all-new-zealanders It seems intuitively prudent that the Gov’t/RBNZ strategy of limiting immigration and increasing minimum wages will surely put pressure on business and farmers to invest in assets to increase productivity.
It would be interesting for Bernard to lead discussion focusing attention on the alternative approaches to achieving higher productivity rather than on the gloom and doom relating to the shortages of low-cost labour. The opposition seems to believe NZ should continue to import cheap labour to keep wages down as a way of combating inflation. Clearly this is the reason why we have dropped down the OECD productivity ranks over the years. On the other hand the Govt’s strategy seems to be to push the wages up so as to encourage business owners invest in technology improvements. Perhaps they will also need to provide financial incentives to businesses who invest in technology that can demonstrate a significant increase in productivity.
Hi Bernard, have the podcasts changed format? Not getting them pushed through to my podcast app. Also, what are your thoughts on the purchase of KiwiBank?
very saddening to see on Sunday TV program that some RSE workers from Pacific countries are being massively ripped off. Any chance of investigating this thoroughly with applicable government ministers Bernard?
Nailed it Bernard, with the cost of living comments. There might be the odd young working holiday maker that doesn't think to look at rental costs before they buy their ticket, but the majority will look at whether or not it's feasible. Rentals are too expensive, especially for anyone considering a working holiday. It'll be all work and no holiday for these young people and they'll be bitter/feel used, sounds fun :-/ Perhaps NZ business & government is hoping to get young Europeans fleeing the winter energy shortage there?
Looks like this is topical...or a particular campaign / agenda being pushed (I'm not cynical at all) https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/22/migration-rebound-slowed-by-australians-leaving-the-country-since-borders-reopened
Still reflecting on your Dawn Chorus, Bernard (as permitted by my diary). My simple-minded question concerns the trade off that recent NZ governments have made between making decisions that benefit citizens or various groups within society, such as the children of the poor, or low-waged workers, or unpaid workers doing important care work, and voters, predominantly middle-aged, middle-class property owners. How can we allow the latter group to benefit at the cost of our poorest and most disadvantaged citizens?
What is the purpose of a government- to stay in power or to assist citizens? (Sorry to sound as though I am fomenting the French revolution all over again, but the concept of citizen is important.) I believe it is the latter. Further, do we want a low-wage economy or a productive one? Once again, the latter.
Governments need to have the courage to lead. Opening the tap of low-wage temporary immigration deals only with the symptoms, not the cause. If neither Red nor Blue has courage to address our issues with low productivity and hides behind inflation, we won’t make progress on this problem. I don’t want us to be a housing market with a small economy attached in 10 years’ time.