TIMARU – A LOT, MORE than half I would guess of Pinoys here started out on the dairy farms, and it takes no genius to figure that out. You fix your papers (residency) the most practical way possible, get your family from the homeland, and work towards your dream. Then, you can work anywhere you want. Slow and steady wins the race, as they say.
As they might not appreciate the attention, I won’t identify them. The padre de familia of one of the first families i got to know here was an established professional back home, but came to South Island 10 years ago, worked as a dairy worker here 14 hours a day, 28 days a month on the farm, longer than he cares to admit, before he became a PR (permanent resident). He’s a citizen now, but it wasn’t that long ago that he remembers very well the challenges of the job.
“Only one day off every two weeks. On call all the time, so it was like you were working even when you rested.”
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But it was worth it. His wife and two sons soon followed him, and they all became residents not long after they arrived. It was a hard but necessary step towards becoming part of New Zealand, and the kabayan family regrets nothing in their migrant journey.
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The problem, kabayan, is that times have changed. Although there are visa pathways for specific jobs towards permanent residency in New Zealand, being a dairy worker is no longer the surefire way to getting there. The main problems are the extreme lengths of time needed to process your application, and the stress of being separated from family while you wait.
Just ask Ariel Ocon and Christian Roxas, kabayan who have faced exactly the situation described above.
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Before anything else, a disclaimer po: you won’t find facts and statistics in this space, I’m either too lazy or too sleepy to organize and report the same to you, Precious Reader. But I do try to read a daily diet of sensational, serious and semi-serious news that appeals to a kabayan OFW worker born in the late 20th century like me, namely, Filipino, New Zealand and sports-showbiz news that’s free and available on the internet.
The only bare facts I have for you Precious Reader, after sifting through Stuff News, New Zealand Herald (the free portion) and Radio New Zealand websites: these guys have waited a reasonable amount of time (in Ariel’s case 16 months) before being told a case officer hadn’t even been assigned to their applications;
That in one of these cases, the physical, mental and emotional strain of being separated from families is enough for the worker to reconsider staying in New Zealand, no matter how much he loves it here;
And that at least three countries (Australia, Canada and Ireland) would take both of our kabayan in a heartbeat, family and all, with permanent residency promised, and soon. I don’t know what soon means, but it certainly won’t take as long as these guys have waited.
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A last thought before we finish. Canada has promised permanent residency to ALL essential workers who served the country during the pandemic. These guys have gone through the legal and formal process to just formalize what they have already been doing from Day One, which is to be productive members of New Zealand society. If they’re already considered part of the family (as we are all hearing from the Prime Minister and PC media), why aren’t they allowed to even enter the house?
(and if being a dairy worker, FFS, isn’t being an essential worker, helping produce milk and dairy products, I don’t know what is. )
In the end, Ariel and Christian can fight back all this unfairness (for it IS unfairness) the only way they know how, which is to bring (or threaten to bring) their skills elsewhere. As we mentioned above, three 1st World nations are welcoming them, with the widest of open arms.
Ball in your court, New Zealand.
