New Zealand’s Prime Minister, John Key, spoke in support of immigrants who come to the country in the pursuit of employment. He vigorously defended low-skilled immigrants who come for fruit picking. Until July 2016, a record number of 69,000 people have settled in New Zealand.
Speaking on New Zealand’s leading Radio, Mr. Key confessed that, a high level of immigration is putting pressure on country’s infrastructure. Despite, his government would continue to import a large number of skilled immigrants to fill jobs. He opined many employers are unable to find locals to work, because of their work ethics and addiction to drugs.
He added, "We bring in people to pick fruit under the RSE (Recognized Seasonal Employer) scheme, and they come from the islands, and they do a fabulous job. And the government has been saying 'well, OK, there are some unemployed people who live in Hawke's Bay, and so why can't we get them to pick fruit', and we have been trialing a domestic RSE scheme.”
"But go and ask the employers, and they will say some of these people won't pass a drug test, some of these people won't turn up for work, some of these people will claim they have health issues later on. So it's not to say there aren't great people who transition from Work and Income to work, they do, but it's equally true that they're also living in the wrong place, or they just can't muster what is required to actually work."
Source: https://www.freshplaza.com