P U B L I S H E R ’ S D E S K
CHANGE IS INEVITABLE SO
LET US LEAD THE WORLD
It would be remiss not to make mention
of the Christchurch Mosque Massacre
that claimed 50 lives.
It’s one of those times when you sit in
front of a computer and think, ‘What
words really pay enough tribute to a
tragedy like New Zealand has never
before seen?’. I’m not so sure even
Shakespeare would even know where
to start.
I am sure, however, that he would
have had no trouble in the delivery of a
beautiful tapestry of prose dedicated to
describing what this will mean for New
Zealand’s future. The darkest clouds
often precede the brightest dawn.
New Zealand – I believe – is about to
go through the biggest change it has
ever experienced in terms of societal
interaction and how we treat each other
– how we treat all Kiwis. Compassion…
understanding… empathy… love… they
are all are in the mix and they will all
contribute to a very different landscape
that I hope will soon be the envy of the
world.
To the families who lost loved ones…
there are actually no words. Just
hugs. But I’m sure I can speak for the
entire engineering and manufacturing
communities in a vow to – instead -
show you change.
It’s a day we will never forget. It’s a day
we should never forget.
Change is a wonderful thing. And in
the case of how we all get on in this
wonderfully eclectic melting pot under
our proud long white cloud, it will
definitely be society altering.
But in some circumstances, change can
also raise issue.
That’s where Johnathan Adams of
SkillSelect sits. He’s very concerned
that proposed work visa changes will
impact significantly on employers.
Based on Cabinet discussion papers,
Johnathan says: "Central to the new
framework is that it is employer-led
rather than migrant-led. This means
that all employers would need to be
approved or accredited before they
could recruit migrant workers.
“The new gateway framework would
replace the current Essential Skills,
Approval in Principle, Talent (Accredited
Employer), Long Term Skills Shortage
List Occupations, Silver Fern Job
Search and Silver Fern Practical
Experience visa categories."
In an industry that is struggling to keep
up with demand for staff, more red tape
is about to be added.
“For employers it will be useful to gain
accredited employer status now, ahead
of what could be a huge backlog in
mid-year changes to the temp visa
system,” says Johnathan.
He says there is a cost of $2,100
to become accredited and requires
disclosure of your standard financial
records to INZ. “These are the sort of
accounts and records an employer has
to prepare for IRD in annual returns
anyway, so is not new information.”
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TURN YOUR BACK ON HATE…
The team at New Zealand Engineering
News and MachinerySales wishes to
pass on a special message to all New
Zealanders, but particularly to those
who lost loved ones in the Christchurch
Mosque Massacres in March.
“We encourage the entire engineering
industry – and New Zealand as a whole
– to turn your back on hate. Together we
can eliminate discrimination based on
race, colour, religion or creed. A stronger
New Zealand… together, as one. A New
Zealand that leads the world.”
The benefits are:
1. Employers can immediately hire
additional staff from overseas on
essential skill visas more easily, as you
don’t have to wait to check if there
are any New Zealanders to do the
work first.
2. You can also offer or support a 'work
to residency’ pathway for employees
or potential employees to attract or
retain them - they must work another
two years with your business before
gaining residency.
3. A key benefit is becoming accredited
before June/July 2019, as the
Minister is planning changes which
includes removal of the current temp
visa categories with an employer
approval process, prior to hiring.
Visit the following link for more…
https://tinyurl.com/assistedworkvisa
Greg Robertson
Publisher
www.engineeringnews.co.nz 3
/smartmc
/nhp-nz.com
/assistedworkvisa
/www.engineeringnews.co.nz