News Roundup - 2 March

02 Mar 2021

Kiwfruit pickers and packer to be paid living wage
Kiwifruit pickers and packers can expect to earn at least the living wage of $22.10 in this year's harvest, as the industry attempts to fill a 23,000 worker short fall. New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers chief executive Nikki Johnson said there had been pressure on the industry’s pay rates for a while but orchards and most pack houses would pay the living wage.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/124392432/kiwfruit-pickers-and-packer-to-be-paid-living-wage

Lockdown rules 'absurd', Retail NZ says
Seemingly arbitrary rules about what’s safe to do in level 3 are putting small businesses under significant strain, Retail NZ says. The problem was that the rules didn't make sense, he said.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/124390069/lockdown-rules-absurd-retail-nz-says

Business leaders demand government's Covid-19 plan be made public
Some of the country's most powerful business leaders are demanding the government lay out its Covid-19 plan, including how it is measuring its current strategy and its plans to get the border open. The group is calling for clarity and openness, saying the details need to be made available beyond government circles.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/437440/business-leaders-demand-government-s-covid-19-plan-be-made-public

Wairarapa water bans in place but rain on the way
Water restrictions have tightened in Wairarapa, but relief and rainclouds are on the horizon.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/437427/wairarapa-water-bans-in-place-but-rain-on-the-way

Inexperienced farming machine operators 'cause havoc'
Harvest is in full swing across the country, and while rural contractors have managed to get workers in the tractor driving seat, in many cases the work hasn't been up to the necessary standard, industry commentators say. Rural Contractors president David Kean said the organisation had done everything Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor had asked to fill the worker shortage left by border closures, but reports of inexperienced workers causing havoc were common.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/124348508/inexperienced-farming-machine-operators-cause-havoc

T&G Global's full year profit surges
Vegetable and fruit grower T&G Global's profit has more than doubled as strong demand for its apples drove an increase in revenue.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/country/437392/t-and-g-global-s-full-year-profit-surges

News Roundup - 2 March

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