Migrant News Vol 15 No 3, 2022

P a g e 0 6 w e b s i t e : w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I TWITTER : www.twittercom/migrantnews
Thousands of extra workers to
be allowed into New Zealand
The government will
allow some sectors to pay
skilled migrant workers
less than the new median
wage requirements in a
bid to address workplace
shortages across the country.
It is also doubling the
Working Holiday Scheme
cap for 2022/23 and
extending holiday makers'
visas.
Announcing the
changes, Immigration
Minister Michael Wood
said they were aimed at
providing immediate
relief to those businesses
hardest-hit by the global
worker shortage.
"We have listened to the
concerns of these sectors,
and worked with them to
take practicable steps to
unlock additional labour,"
he said.
"We know these measures
will help fill skills
gaps, as businesses work
towards more productive
and resilient ways of operating."
Businesses that were
hiring skilled migrant
workers in a number of
key sectors would be
exempt, for a limited period,
from the new median
wage requirements.
Wood said this would
keep wage requirements
during a transition period
more in line with what
they were under the old
immigration settings.
"When we launched the
immigration rebalance we
heard from key sectors
they would need time to
transition to the new
rules," Wood said.
"We have worked
urgently alongside industry
to develop sector
agreements for the aged
care, seafood, meat processing,
construction and
snow and adventure
tourism industries that
will be put in place from
today."
Each of the agreements
also included expectations
for improvement, Wood
said, including the implementation
of workforce
transition plans and
industry transformation
plans.
"Performance against
these will be monitored
and feed into reviews and
decisions about future
access to migrants below
the median wage," Wood
said.
To address the shortage
of casual workers more
generally, the government
would temporarily
increase
access to the Working
Holiday Scheme
which it said would
allow 12,000 additional
working holiday
makers to come to the
country.
Those already here on
working holiday visas
expiring between 26
August of this year and 31
May 2023
would have
them extended by six
months.
And people who
previously held a
working holiday visa
but who missed out
on travelling to New
Zealand due to the
pandemic would also
be issued with new
visas from October,
allowing them to
enter New Zealand
by 31 January 2023
and remain in the
country for 12
months.
Covid-19 had
brough the world to a
Immigration Minister
Michael Wood (photo: Twitter)
"standstill", Wood said,
and that was particularly
being felt by the hospitality
and tourism sectors,
which traditionally relied
on international workers.
"Since our borders have
fully reopened we are seeing
the return of working
holiday makers with
approximately 4,000
already in-country and
over 21,000 have had their
application to work here
approved," he said.
"These changes will
have a positive impact on
the workforce, and will
make the most of the
increase in working holiday
makers we expect to
welcome during the peak
summer season."
Published with special
permission from RNZ.
It's now illegal to ignore 'Do Not Knock' stickers
Changes to the
Fair Trading
Act, which have
come into force,
mean door-todoor
traders who
ignore a ‘Do Not
Knock’ sticker
risk fines
of up to
$30,000.
In addition
to imposing
fines, the courts can also
order the cancellation or variation of
a sales agreement, as well as compensation
if an uninvited seller
ignores a sticker or a direction not to
enter a property.
“This is a great win for consumers,”
said Jon Duffy, Consumer
NZ Chief Executive.
“We have been calling for these
changes to the Fair Trading Act since
2014, when we first launched our
campaign. Since then, we have distributed
more than half a million
stickers to consumers to keep
unwanted sellers away,” he said.
“Over the years we have heard terrible
stories of pushy salespeople
hounding householders to buy products
they don’t want or need. In some
cases, people have even purchased products
just to get rid of the seller.
“We’ve also heard stories of sellers ignoring
the stickers, so it’s great ignoring a ‘Do
Not Knock’ sticker or instruction to stay
away will now have serious financial implications
for the trader on the doorstep.”
You don’t need a sticker to benefit from
these new consumer protections. If you tell a
seller to stay away from your house, they
must do as they’re told for two years. If they
don’t do as they’re told, or they ignore your
sticker, you can complain to the Commerce
Commission.
How to get a 'Do Not Knock' sticker
Consumer members can request a sticker
through the form on Consumer’s website.
If you’re not a Consumer member, you can
get a sticker from any Resene ColorShop or
store that sells Resene paints.
Alternatively, you can make your own
sign or download a printable version of the
sticker.