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# Face of the Day
- URL: https://goodoil.news/face-of-the-day-219/
- Published: 2020-09-15T18:30:00.000Z
- Updated: 2020-09-16T21:18:00.000Z
- Author: Good Oil Staff
- Tags: Business, Election 2020, Featured, NZ, NZ Politics, Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-17 03:00

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f4/31f4e20a-0315-499e-83ff-139e8eab53bf/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/screen-shot-2020-09-15-at-5.54.37-pm.png)

“it’s going to be a tough business for people relying on imported labour for the next year, until we get a vaccine \[for Covid\].’’ – David Parker

> Industries facing skills shortages in coming months include shearers, agriculture machinery contractors and the horticulture industry, which will soon need fruit pickers.

> Parker was questioned on the issue by Southland Chamber of Commerce president Neil McAra during a trade breakfast in Invercargill on Tuesday, hosted by Export Southland.

> McAra said it was a major concern of business that not enough was being done to bring skilled overseas people into the country during Covid, in a safe manner, to ensure the affected sectors weren’t under resourced.

> Parker responded: ‘’I am a hardass there. Compete for labour. That’s my first and strongest message.’’

> \[…\] Unemployment was higher in New Zealand than it had been in years and those people could be employed and trained to do the work, he suggested.

> He also suggested affected industries could ask universities to change their semesters to coincide with seasonal peaks.

> ‘’There’s lots of things that can be done but it’s going to be a tough business for people relying on imported labour for the next year, until we get a vaccine \[for Covid\].’’

> McAra later acknowledged New Zealand should be training people to take the vacant roles on, but it required more than a couple of weeks to become skilled operators in some of the affected industries.

> Also, the locations most people were unemployed in weren’t necessarily where the available work was at, he said.

> Parker’s response did not deal with the short term challenges for industries looking for workers, he said.  
>  
> stuff.co.nz/national/122766494/david-parker-takes-hardass-approach-to-labour-shortage-during-covid