ISSUE 1,030 - FRIDAY 1ST APRIL 2022

Friday 1st April 2022

Page 7

SELWYN MP UPDATE What a welcome relief last week’s news of a lift in restrictions has brought. There’s even, dare I say it, a faint whiff of optimism in the air, a return to normal is almost within reach! By the time you read this, vaccine passes and scanning requirements will be abolished, outdoor gathering limits will be scrapped and some vaccine mandates will be phased out. The Government has finally caught up with reality, which is that Omicron has changed the game and the tools that worked against Delta are now putting unjustified limits on people’s lives. There is very little point in vaccine passes anymore, and it’s good they’re finally being abolished. In my view, the Government should also signal a timeline for abolishing the remaining mandates. Kiwis have done the right thing, here in Selwyn, 95 percent of us are double vaccinated and over 75 percent of us are boosted, and after two tough years, it’s time to get back to normality and start thinking positively about the future. Perhaps the most positive thing to look forward to is the reopening of the border. Our migrant communities will be

able to reunite with family, many will be able to get residency after being stuck in a visa limbo for so long, businesses across Canterbury will be able to bring in the critically important staff that they have been starved of, and working holiday-makers will return. We think the Government needs to pull out all the stops to make NZ an attractive destination for those working holiday-makers, given our massive labour shortages. Global competition for these workers is intense. Australia is spending millions on aggressive marketing to attract these workers to their shores, while also offering a raft of other incentives like a visa application fee refund, unrestricted work rights and supplementary visas. If more isn’t urgently done here to attract these workers, our tourism/hospitality businesses will continue to struggle, the fruit won’t get picked, grapes won’t get harvested and shelves won’t get stacked. We think that, at a minimum, we must at least match what Australia is offering, as well as extending our current age category from 30 – 35, and allowing any current Working Holiday Visa holder to be granted two more extensions to

that visa. Until offshore workers start to trickle back in though, I think it timely to give a huge and heartfelt thank you to all those who’ve had their shoulder to the wheel, keeping this place going these past two years. Selwyn is an incredibly resourceful district, well-serviced by an expansive network of community-minded folk who’ve looked out for those in need of a hand during these tough times. So, whether you are an employer, teacher, nurse, doctor, aged-care worker, cook, cleaner, tradie, vet or a farmer, whatever your line of work, it’s been folk like you who’ve helped our district come through this thing in better shape than most. Thank you. Nicola Grigg, MP for Selwyn.

MOBILE SEED CLEANING SERVICE

On farm seed dressing & treating. For all your dressing & scalping needs phone Jeff on

027 653 7969

Chemicals supplied on request

For all your small excavaƟon requirements • Site & Garden Clearance • Lawn Construc on (Small & Large) • Driveways

• Hole boring (200 – 600) • Sheep & Ca le Yard Clean Outs • Shingle Supplies

Give Neil a call on 022 451 7207 or email neiljudith@xtra.co.nz

Nothing’s a Problem!

Rural Fields Your agricultural contracƟng partner Ploughing

Cultivation

Drilling

Mowing