Dairy Cattle Farm Workers
Ryan Potts made this Official Information request to Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
The request was successful.
      From: Ryan Potts
      
    
    To whom it may concern,
I write further to Nicola Hogg’s letter to me of 4 August 2020 regarding advice Immigration NZ received about the availability of New Zealanders to work in the dairy sector.
I request the following additional information:
Please confirm whether or not Immigration NZ received advice that the number of New Zealanders considered ‘trainable’ for the occupation “Dairy Cattle Farm Worker” was zero in June 2020.
Furthermore, I seek an explanation of how that number was arrived at. If you consider that this request is better dealt with by the Ministry of Social Development then please transfer it accordingly.
Yours faithfully,
Ryan Potts
        From: Ministerial Services
        Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
      
    
    Ref: 2021-0287
 
Dear Ryan,
 
On behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment I
 acknowledge your email of 5 August 2020 requesting under the Official
 Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following:
 
I write further to Nicola Hogg’s letter to me of 4 August 2020 regarding
 advice Immigration NZ received about the availability of New Zealanders to
 work in the dairy sector.
 
I request the following additional information:
 
Please confirm whether or not Immigration NZ received advice that the
 number of New Zealanders considered ‘trainable’ for the occupation “Dairy
 Cattle Farm Worker” was zero in June 2020.
 
Furthermore, I seek an explanation of how that number was arrived at. If
 you consider that this request is better dealt with by the Ministry of
 Social Development then please transfer it accordingly.
 
Your request is being processed in accordance with the Act and a response
 will be sent to you in due course.
 
Please note, due to ongoing COVID-19 response work, requests are currently
 being triaged and those relating to Covid-19 processed as a priority.
 Remaining requests are being assessed as per the Ombudsman’s guidance
 (which can be found here:
 [1]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/news/chief-ombudsmans-statement-official-information-response-times-during-covid-19-emergency)
 and processed accordingly.
 
If you have any enquiries regarding your request, or its urgency, feel
 free to contact us via email at [2][MBIE request email].
 
Nâku noa, nâ
MINISTERIAL SERVICES
 
Corporate, Governance and Information
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
Level 4, 15 Stout Street, PO Box 1473, Wellington 6140
NZBN 9429000106078
 
 
[3]www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
 services
show quoted sections
References
Visible links
 1. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/news/...
 2. mailto:[MBIE request email]
 3. http://www.govt.nz/
        From: Anna McLachlan
        Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
      
    
    Dear Ryan Potts
Please see attached a response to your request for information. 
Kind regards
Anna McLachlan
BUSINESS ADVISOR
Operations Support, Border and Visa Operations Branch
Immigration New Zealand, Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
[email address]
Level 1, 15 Stout Street, PO Box 1473, Wellington 6011
show quoted sections
      From: Ryan Potts
      
    
    Dear Anna,
Thank you for the prompt response. I would appreciate clarification of the following:
There were 408 work visas issued for Dairy Cattle Farm Workers in June 2020 (Migration Data Explorer). I would like confirmation that 1) each of these visas was subject to labour market testing, and 2) no New Zealanders were found to be be suitable and/or trainable for these specific job positions.
Based on my understanding of Immigration Instructions and the information you have previously disclosed to me, I think it is a reasonable assumption that the answer to question 1) should be yes and the answer to question 2) should be no. If this is not the case then I would be grateful to receive an explanation.
Yours sincerely,
Ryan Potts
        From: Anna McLachlan
        Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
      
    
    Dear Ryan
 
I am forwarding your additional questions to our OIA email to be logged as
 a new OIA request as this is not something I can respond to without
 looking into it further. You should receive an acknowledgement email
 shortly.
 
*OIA mailbox - please log the email below as a new OIA request received
 today.
 
Kind regards
 
 
Anna McLachlan
BUSINESS ADVISOR
 
Operations Support, Border and Visa Operations Branch
Immigration New Zealand, Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
 
[email address]
 Level 1, 15 Stout Street, PO Box 1473, Wellington 6011
 
My working hours are Monday, Thursday, and Friday 8:30am to 3:30pm
 
 
show quoted sections
        From: Ministerial Services
        Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
      
    
    Ref: 2021-0345
 
Dear Ryan,
 
On behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment I
 acknowledge your email of 14 August 2020 requesting under the Official
 Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following:
 
There were 408 work visas issued for Dairy Cattle Farm Workers in June
 2020 (Migration Data Explorer). I would like confirmation that 1) each of
 these visas was subject to labour market testing, and 2) no New Zealanders
 were found to be be suitable and/or trainable for these specific job
 positions.
 
Based on my understanding of Immigration Instructions and the information
 you have previously disclosed to me, I think it is a reasonable assumption
 that the answer to question 1) should be yes and the answer to question 2)
 should be no. If this is not the case then I would be grateful to receive
 an explanation.
 
Your request is being processed in accordance with the Act and a response
 will be sent to you in due course.
 
Please note, due to ongoing COVID-19 response work, requests are currently
 being triaged and those relating to Covid-19 processed as a priority.
 Remaining requests are being assessed as per the Ombudsman’s guidance
 (which can be found here:
 [1]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/news/chief-ombudsmans-statement-official-information-response-times-during-covid-19-emergency)
 and processed accordingly.
 
If you have any enquiries regarding your request, or its urgency, feel
 free to contact us via email at [2][MBIE request email].
 
Nâku noa, nâ
MINISTERIAL SERVICES
 
Corporate, Governance and Information
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
Level 4, 15 Stout Street, PO Box 1473, Wellington 6140
NZBN 9429000106078
 
 
[3]www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
 services
show quoted sections
References
Visible links
 1. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/news/...
 2. mailto:[MBIE request email]
 3. http://www.govt.nz/
        From: Fraser Stretton
        Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
      
    
    Hi Ryan,
 
Please see the attached letter extending the time available to us to
 respond to your recent request for official information.
 
Regards,
Fraser
 
 
Fraser Stretton
SENIOR BUSINESS ADVISOR
 
Operations Support – Border & Visa Operations, Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
 
[1][email address] | +64 4 896 5316
15 Stout Street, PO Box 1473, Wellington, New Zealand
 
[2]www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
 services
show quoted sections
References
Visible links
 1. mailto:[email address]
 2. http://www.govt.nz/
        From: Fraser Stretton
        Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
      
    
    Hi Ryan,
 
Please see the attached letter in response to your recent request for
 official information.
 
Regards,
Fraser
 
 
Fraser Stretton
SENIOR BUSINESS ADVISOR
 
Operations Support – Border & Visa Operations, Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
 
[1][email address] | +64 4 896 5316
15 Stout Street, PO Box 1473, Wellington, New Zealand
 
[2]www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
 services
show quoted sections
References
Visible links
 1. mailto:[email address]
 2. http://www.govt.nz/
Things to do with this request
- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence (note: this contains the same information already available above).


