Coventry

my husband has been offered work on a farm in NZ as a farm hand. we would apply for an ordinary work visa and he is told he can take a course of study to progress over 3 years, eventually claiming for residency on general skills.

Does this sound too easy? It will be hard for a couple of years, but for a family without the right skills for general skills it seems an opportunity.

Does anyone have any opinions on this?

Can my husband study for a NZ qualification whilst on a work visa?

Help we would be taking three children so the risk can't be too high

Gra.B

Hi,

For a work visa you need to be qualified & experienced, but also the job has to be on the OSL. Unless you go on a study visa for the course, then apply for work permit related to it. What have they told you about it?

Cheers, Gra..

Coventry

I have been told that becasue farming in the south island has so many vacancies my husband will be allowed to be employed on an apprentice type scheme even though he is 40 - working toward a farm managers qualification through maybe distance learning. Then apply for PR after qualification through geenral skills. Our advisor circulated my husband CV and with 24hours he had a farm interested.

He has no farm experience, the renumeration package includes accommodation. I was told maybe a visa of 1 year which would be easy to renew.

Coventry

sorry i should add no one has mentioned a student visa only a work visa. I am told as his spouse i can also obtain a work visa and the children would be treated as domestic students even though my son is entering year 12 (6th form)

Gra.B

Well, as long as you really can get the initial work visa then it sounds ideal. I quite fancy it myself! Do they need another apprentice??
Have you had any dealings with NZIS yet? I'd try & get the visa clarified because it doesn't fit in with what's on the site, unless I've missed something. I've read it so many times it starts to get a bit jumbled!

Gra...

MarkBandy

Coventry.

I have been trying to get I.T work in NZ with no success (strange as it's supposed to be an 'in demand' skill).

I'm willing to turn my hand to anything and wasn't aware of a demand for farm work in NZ. Was this offer through a friend/family ? If not do you have any details so I could check it out.

Many Thanks.

Coventry

I have sent you a private e-mail with some info - get back to me if you want more info

MarkBandy

Hi Coventry.

Not sure if you got my e-mail (account was playing up yesterday).

I checked out the site you mentioned, but couldn't find the relevant info.

I wondered if it was under the jobs section, but that only seemed to be fo NZ , not overseas.

Any pointers ?

Many thanks for your help.

Mark.

southerner

It is worth checking out the latest scene a bit more regarding dairy farming in the south. Prices are a lot lower this last year, so the times are not as rosy as they were. and I think that some land owners are now moving to employ farmhands rather than the traditional sharemilking arrangement. Maybe this is where the demand is coming from, or maybe the labour shortage is last year's story.

I don't know - just check it out a bit more.


Found the following article in the Otago Daily Times (21st May):
http://www.odt.co.nz/

Tough year hits sharemilkers Glamour dairy industry loses gloss

By Neal Wallace
Sharemilkers without a job are being forced to lease their cows free-of-charge while they wait for an improvement in the country's dairy industry.

With new season sharemilking contracts due to start in 11 days, some observers estimate 70 sharemilkers nationally still have no jobs and the cows which they paid up to $1500 for a year ago have, in some cases, halved in value.

Cull cows and cows bred to supply the burgeoning industry are being sold at meat value or greatly discounted prices.

An adviser with consultant Farmright, Tony Cleland, said only a few sharemilkers in Otago and Southland were still without jobs.

The glamour industry of the past decade was losing some of its gloss as the price farmers received for their milk dropped by a third in a year and many farmers were struggling through a season made difficult by little grass growth.

In previous years, industry growth meant there was an abundance of sharemilker jobs, Mr Cleland said.

There was not the same movement of sharemilkers in Otago and Southland this year because fewer sheep farms had been converted to dairying due to the lower payout.

Dairy Farmers of New Zealand past president Stephen Korteweg, of Otago, said the mood in the industry had changed in the past year.

His concern was sharemilkers who borrowed heavily to get a start could be lost to the industry.

Many costs had not fallen in line with the lower payout. Winter grazing was still averaging about $18 a cow a week, he said.

Some farm owners who employ sharemilkers are not renewing expired contracts, have bought their own cows and have employed farm or herd managers.

An owner-operator has to carry more of the risk and cost than under a sharemilking arrangement, but also receives more of the milk cheque.

Fonterra's announcement earlier this year of a further forecast payout drop of 10c a kg of milk solids to $3.60, appears to have been the impetus for the industry retraction.

Federated Farmers dairy policy analyst Sarah Borrell said the shortage of sharemilker positions was a national problem.

One sharemilker advertisement she heard of in Thames attracted more than 40 replies.

"It's been one heck of a correction," she said.

Federated Farmers sharemilker representative, Joy Thomas, said sharemilkers not looking to change jobs would be able to adapt to the lower incomes.

But this season there was little time to make management changes when faced with falling incomes once the final payout was announced, she said.