# New migrant dairy guides launched



## anski (Aug 17, 2008)

This is a wonderful initiative to assist the 6% migrant dairy workers essential to our $13 billion export dairy industry.



> Immigration and Associate Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has launched two new guides today to help migrant dairy workers and their employers work together more successfully.
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> "Migrant workers make up a small but significant part of the dairy industry workforce, filling the gaps where there are not enough New Zealanders available.
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> "There are now around 1500 migrant dairy workers in the country, making up 6% of the workforce. The majority come from the Philippines and demand has increased in recent years as it has proved difficult to attract and retain local workers in some parts of rural New Zealand.


The entire article can be read here New migrant dairy guides launched - Yahoo! New Zealand News

and the guides are available here Dairy farming

The guides are even available for non English speakers, the Tagalog (for Filipino workers) and Spanish (for South American workers) will be available in early April.


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## carosapien (Oct 16, 2011)

It's about time this guides were produced in other languages, it makes sense since most of the workers come from non-English speaking countries.


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## Song_Si (Jun 11, 2010)

climate shock! 3C in Southland is bad for anyone, let alone someone from a more tropical climate



> adjust from 35 degrees Celsius in Manila to 3C in Southland in June. They need warm clothes and thermals


*Migrant dairy workers have tough start, study shows*
Last updated 05:00 07/05/2012

*Southland dairy farmers are throwing new migrant workers in at the deep end of the dairy season, under-prepared and probably under-paid, a Lincoln University academic says.
*
University researcher Rupert Tipples said Southland dairy farmers customarily employed migrants around gypsy day so they began work at the high-stress calving season.

Migrants should be employed in January when it was less hectic and the weather was warmer, he said. "Migrants come with a suitcase of clothes which aren't appropriate, to adjust from 35 degrees Celsius in Manila to 3C in Southland in June. They need warm clothes and thermals."

While his research team had not asked farmers how much they paid new migrants, or the hours they worked, when they interviewed them in Winton last month there were indications the migrants were working very long hours, Dr Tipples said.

"You only have to take the reasonably typical levels of pay, and divide it by the number of hours, and you suddenly start wondering where the minimum pay rate comes in. The length of time they are working, in relation to what they are being paid overall, is perhaps illegal."

Filipino dairy worker Galelio Chiu Jr said he had worked in the New Zealand dairy industry for four years, most of that in Southland. His first three months were in Reefton and were the toughest as he had struggled with the new weather, food, culture and language, he said.

He signed a contract to milk 800 cows but ended up milking 1700, he said. His salary package was about $38,000, but he worked 80-hour weeks, so his pay was below minimum wage, he said. Mr Chiu later moved to Southland to work for Argentine Leo Pekar and has since moved to Waikaia. 

more


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## anski (Aug 17, 2008)

Thank goodness for Temporary Fruit pickers, obvious locals find the work too hard or distasteful. Very similar situation in the USA without the Mexican farm workers the world would be without wine & other crops! 



> Te Aranga marae in Flaxmere was awash with body paint and laughter on Wednesday, as J M Bostock thanked its 255 Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers with a function before their return home.
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> The RSE scheme started in 2007. It allows approved employers to recruit workers from designated countries and has been credited with improving confidence in the fruit sector, which had difficulty in attracting large amounts of labour for short periods of time.
> 
> ...


The full story appears here,

Migrant workers farewell fruit season | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay


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