The Panel with Madison Burgess-Smith and Mike Williams Part 1
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RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Kiwi workers wanted: 'The north of Australia is a really good option'
Northern Territory industry leaders were hunting for Kiwi workers at an Auckland job expo over the weekend. File photo. Photo: AFP Australian companies say they are not trying to poach NZ's workforce, but anybody who does fancy upping sticks for 'Straya's Northern Territory is being fair dinkum promised a chunk a' change that would make your Kiwi colleagues mad as a cut snake. Northern Territory industry leaders were at an Auckland job expo over the weekend to extoll the virtues of the vast region of Australia. There were stalls looking to recruit police and corrections officers, hospitality workers, health professionals, tourism operators and construction and infrastructure workers. A number of Kiwis visiting the expo told Checkpoint the better pay and better work opportunities were tempting. But what will it mean for New Zealand's already declining workforce if they take up the offer? For Kiwis across the motu, it can be a dispiriting daily grind: apply for jobs, often receive no reply and when they do land an interview, queues of people are lining up for the same job. It can take hundreds of applications, and often many months, before something finally comes through. The unemployment rate in New Zealand is at a four-year high at 5.1 percent, so it is very competitive out there. But in Australia's Northern Territory, they are desperate for people to join their workforce and they have got Kiwis in their sights. On Saturday morning at Auckland's Manukau Due Drop events centre, the expo was bustling with hundreds of students, job hunters and people just looking for a change. They told Checkpoint finding a job in Aotearoa has become increasingly difficult. "I'm looking for other work at the moment and there's literally nothing out there, thousands of people applying for jobs that I wouldn't usually apply for. "A lot of people have applied for jobs you see 150 people have applied, 200 people and you'll still be waiting for an answer." The Northern Territory's allure lies in its higher salaries, more job opportunities and the possibility of buying a home there. "I'm renting a two-bedroom house here for $550 at the same time when I see my sister she's in Alice Springs she's renting a two-bedroom house for $350. "I feel really bad going into a job that pays so little, and I've studied so hard, where there's like a $20,000 difference if I start here or if I start there." Damien Charles from the Northern Territory Information and Communication Technology and Digital Services industry said there was a wider range of opportunities in the sector. A $30-40,000 pay bump also did not hurt. "Having listened to a number of people come through they're quite downcast about ICT and digital sector here in New Zealand, it's quite hard to get into the market even for people with existing skills and experience." Andrew Craven from the Northern Territory Police said they were looking for new recruits to join the police and experienced police who might want a change in scenery. First-year constables earn a salary of $111,000 compared to $83,000 here. After five years in the force that increases to $121,000 in Northern Territory, compared with $91,000 here. There is also a housing allowance of up to $34,000 for officers jumping the ditch. Craven said there were many similarities between the Northern Territory and New Zealand police forces. "We speak to the New Zealand Police a lot because we interview experienced police, particularly in the Northern Island, I think they have very similar problems." Dr Tanzil Rahman - Member of the Parliament of the Northern Territory for Fong Lim in Darwin's east - made the trip to New Zealand to help snag some Kiwi workers. He said the Northen Territory offered a different lifestyle, better pay, a higher quality housing market and a warmer climate. "We know that New Zealanders are keen on Australia and do move to Australia and if you're looking for meaningful work opportunities that are well remunerated than again the north of Australia is a really good option." But for some Kiwis, the grass was not greener. "Australia's way too hot and there's too much drama there," said one. "People don't realise that in New Zealand we look after our retirees a lot better than they do in Australia." "I was offered about 1.7 times about what I would earn here in New Zealand. But what I love here about people in New Zealand is the people and the culture. We moved here when I was young from South Africa, so I call New Zealand my home and I'll stay," said another "We've got the most beautiful scenery in the world, great people and a wonderful future I'd stay here," said a third. The Northern Territory job expos were held in Christchurch and Auckland over the past two weekends hosting jobs and information sessions for Kiwis keen to get a glimpse on life and work. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Material change for the construction industry
With insolvency and job losses for construction businesses soaring , the government has announced it will make it easier for firms to purchase and use international materials for builds here in New Zealand. Professor John Tookey from AUT joins Emile Donovan to look at whether this move will bring down the high cost of construction. Photo: 123RF
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
Climate Liberation Aotearoa protesters target Stockton Mine
First published on By Sharon Davis and Ellen Curnow* Protesters used the aerial ropeway cables as a zip line to access a coal bucket high off the ground. Photo: Supplied Climate activists have climbed into a coal bucket on the rope way at Stockton Mine again to protest Bathurst Resources Ltd's fast-track application to extend its mining operations across the Buller plateaux to Denniston. Yesterday afternoon, two Climate Liberation Aotearoa protesters clipped themselves to the ropeway cable and used it like a zipline to access a coal bucket in a remote area high off the ground. This follows a larger protest at Stockton and Denniston in April which ended with at least nine people charged with wilful trespass. Protester Rachel Andrews, from Palmerston North, was among those charged with trespass on 21 April. Speaking to The News from a coal bucket this morning she said they had a good supply of water and food and planned to disrupt the transport of coal from Stockton Mine for as long as possible. Their goal was to have Bathurst withdraw its fast-track application to mine 20 million tonnes of coal on the Denniston Plateau. While there are only two protesters in the coal bucket, she said they were supported by a huge group of people who were against the mine and the fast-track process. "There is huge opposition to this mine, even on the West Coast," she said. Andrews said there were several reasons she was personally motivated to participate. One was the legacy she would leave for future generations. She wanted to be able to tell her four grandchildren that she did everything she could to prevent a climate disaster. "We're in a climate emergency,,, people are dying from climate disasters. We can't afford to burn the coal already out of the ground, let alone mining more." Andrews was also unhappy with the "undemocratic process" under the Fast Track Bill. She said it placed the decision-making process in the hands of a few people who had shown that they didn't care about the environment and were proud to support more mines. Protest was the only way for the public to intervene in the fast-track process, she said. "There is no longer any way for members of the public to voice concerns about proposed projects like this coal mine on kiwi habitat. The New Zealand government has effectively forced communities to take actions like this if we want to be heard." Andrews spent part of the April protest in a "nest in one of pylons" and was trespassed from Stockton. She said a lot of thought had gone into planning an action like this. But any consequences would be worth it, to be able to say she had done everything she could to prevent a disaster for future generations. "I don't take the consequences lightly." Andrews said many organisations were committed to stopping fast-tracked mines and were in it for the long haul. "We will continue doing everything we can to oppose Bathurst Resources' proposed mine ... We will not stand idly by and accept this destruction," she said. The International Court of Justice recently said countries must address the "urgent and existential threat" of climate change by curbing emissions and yet New Zealand was encouraging more mines and more drilling for oil and gas. Andrews said the proposed mine on Denniston would generate at least 53 million tonnes of emissions, close to New Zealand's entire net emissions of 59 million tonnes. "We can't afford to keep destroying the planet," she said. Westport sergeant Georgie Were said police would be negotiating with the protesters to get them to come down. She said they were in a remote location which made communication difficult. The News tried unsuccessfully to contact Bathurst Resources Ltd for comment. During a recent panel discussion on how Buller could transition from coal, Bathurst chief executive Richard Tacon acknowledged the right to protest but said climbing into coal buckets was dangerous. The protesters could have accidentally flicked a lever, flipped the bucket and fallen to their deaths, he said. Locals took to Facebook today in support of the mine and local employment, with some suggesting starting the ropeway or enlisting the fire brigade to point a hose at the protesters to get them to come down. *This story originally appeared in the Westport News.
