FOOD SECURITY’S A JOINT EFFORT Words by Antony Heywood : General Manager, Vegetables New Zealand Inc.
NZ Cucumber is our largest producer of cucumbers. Without labour, its multimillion-dollar business is at risk
Food security needs to be a joint effort by all of New Zealand because we all have an interest in it: • Growers need labour to pick their crops. • Government needs employment. • People need work. • People need locally produced food. It seems a simple equation but for a number of reasons, the planets do not align and growers are in desperate need of labour to pick their crops. Why is this year different from any other year? Why is labour an issue? Much of it falls at the feet of Covid-19 and how it has severely limited the number of Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers and seasonal
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holiday work visa holders in New Zealand. This tap of seasonal labour was turned off as our border closed. The government has also restricted RSE labour due to the perceived notion that the Kiwi labour force is in need of work, and will work in horticulture. The Government is poorly advised, it would seem.
Food security needs a national plan!... Food is survival If growers are unable to harvest their crops, their survival is at risk. Growers have large amounts of capital invested in their properties and plant. A covered crop entity growing cucumbers has invested millions of dollars in erecting glasshouses and other infrastructure, to grow and harvest the crop. They need a viable crop to service business cost.
