Seasonal workforce focus of strategy

The Government wants more skilled workers, especially Kiwis, to consider seasonal work as a potential career.

A multi-agency group yesterday launched a national horticulture and viticulture strategy, a five-year plan designed to encourage employers to recruit skilled Kiwi workers, offer more training and foster better links between the industry and Government.

Representatives from HortNZ, NZ Winegrowers, Seasonal Solutions and other groups met Government officials, including Employment Minister Paula Bennett and Agriculture Minister David Carter, in Wellington.

The Government has reduced the number of work visas for overseas visitors in Central Otago this year because so many New Zealanders are available.

During the 2008-09 season there were 345 recognised seasonal employer (RSE) workers hired in Central Otago.

The RSE scheme awards temporary work visas to overseas workers if New Zealanders are unavailable.

This season 268 RSE workers were hired in Central Otago, where the overall workforce hired to pick and pack stonefruit, pipfruit and grapes fluctuates between 3000 and 3600.

HortNZ spokeswoman Leigh Catley said industry representatives wanted to improve the available seasonal workforce.

Central Otago depended heavily on seasonal employment and the group would discuss the skills needed within the industry.

People with skills in agronomy, packing shed management and engineering were needed, she said.

A spokeswoman for Ms Bennett's office said more New Zealanders were looking for seasonal work.

The number of RSE workers and the length of their contracts had been reduced, which meant around 25 per cent more jobs were available for Kiwis in the seasonal sector.

The governance group would advocate shifting the focus away from overseas workers, including backpackers, and aim to recruit skilled workers, she said.

Increasingly New Zealanders should view seasonal work as a potential career path, she said.

john.edens@stl.co.nz

- © Fairfax NZ News

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