Sunday, April 14, 2013

5000 Phillipinos doing the work on farms in the South Island alone.

Firstly, this is not an attack on the wonderful Philippine workers who are working so hard on our farms. It is an indictment on New Zealanders who won't move their buts from the cities. They would rather collect a benefit than move house and take up a new challenge. I come from a farming background, way back in my distant past, and I know that conditions have improved a great deal since those days. For a hard working person, there is still a possibility to improve their lot by going the way of starting at the bottom. Sure, they may not get to own outright their farm, but they will make money. It takes true grit and determination. Their kids can have a lifestyle that has so many plusses.
A word of caution though. I hope that our Philippine friends are being looked after. I would hate to think that NZ would exploit these very welcome workers, as there have been reports that this has happened. We regularly hear about in other countries. I hope that there is a regular check to see that everything is above board. It is too easy to exploit workers when they work in isolation, well away from the 'eyes ' of the bodies responsible for their welfare.
In the meantime, we need to harden up as NZers and be prepared to move in order to find employment. I know that in my field, education, that teachers have to do this. Hell, we most definitely do not want everyone working ion Auckland with its debt traps and crazy traffic!

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