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SOUTHLAND is not what it used to be.
The region%26#39;s make-up is rapidly changing: in the past five years increasing numbers of migrants are making Southland their new home.
What is striking, Venture Southland%26#39;s settlement support co-ordinator Sue Morrison-Bailey says, is the sheer diversity of countries they are coming from.
The biggest group is from the United Kingdom but surprisingly, second in number are Filipinos who are coming to work in the booming dairy industry, she says.
%26quot;There%26#39;s Argentinians, Chileans and a lot of Romanians here and a growing number of Africans.
Chileans are coming in for short-term job opportunities %26mdash; they might do one year on a dairy contract and then they are leaving to go back, often working for New Zealand-operated dairy ventures in South America.
%26quot;And a lot of holiday-visa Brazilians are coming down from Queenstown, starting to move into Southland with the trades; those ones are not looking at going back,%26quot; Ms Morrison-Bailey says.
Department of Labour and immigration stats show only part of the picture as people come and go. But in 2006 until June 2007, 824 Southland work applications were approved, and that, Ms Morrison-Bailey says, was compiled when the dairy season was only just getting going.
The previous year 566 applications were approved, and numbers have steadily risen since 2002 when 203 applications were approved.
Ms Morrison-Bailey, whose job is part of a national programme spread across 19 regions in New Zealand, says she acts as a central point of contact for migrants already in Southland as well as for people considering moving here.
She might not see some who come through immigration agents, although she is working hard to get all migrants to register with her as she says it is important to prove to central government that numbers are growing with the region facing cutbacks in services.
Chamber of Commerce chief executive Richard Hay says migrants are vital to Southland to have a sufficient workforce to be able to increase economic activity, and keep pace, as there are not enough people here to fill that role.
They also bring a wealth of skills and abilities to enhance our environment, such as new restaurants and a wider range of specialist food at the supermarket.
%26quot;Migrants are the life blood to our province going ahead. We are not producing enough babies and we are not getting enough people coming here from other regions,%26quot; Mr Hay says.
The chamber and key organisations are in the process of collectively assessing where Southland%26#39;s labour needs are looking up to 2015.
Southland Federated Farmers president David Rose says farming in Southland has had a skilled labour shortage for several years, even without all the conversions going on. But it had been a struggle convincing the immigration department to bring more farm workers in and get particular job categories recognised as being a shortage.
%26quot;We have been pushing nationally to get a solution,%26quot; he says.
From C1 V ENTURE Southland has calculated that out of a population of 100,000 (53,700 workers in Southland), 1000 in the workforce will go into retirement and 400 to 600 will leave for overseas and other reasons, such as jobs in other regions. That means, just to retain the economy, let alone factoring in the dairy boom, 1600 working people are needed in Southland each year.
Ms Morrison-Bailey says aside from getting migrants to move here, it can be quite a challenge getting them to stay. For example, many Chinese, who may lack English, move on to bigger centres where there is a bigger Chinese population and more support.
With such a rapidly changing workforce in farming, problems have also arisen with cultural differences and simple unforeseen things, such as milking sheds being set up for tall New Zealanders rather than, say, small Filipino women.
It has meant some migrants can%26#39;t physically use the machinery and some women have had to work as a relief milker rather than fulltime as cowsheds can%26#39;t always be adjusted to alleviate problems.
%26quot;A number of issues have appeared due to lack of information, and that also includes young 17-year-olds who have come down from the North Island.
%26quot;It%26#39;s hard work, it%26#39;s demanding, but there%26#39;s such a shortage of (dairy farm) workers that they have the power of negotiation. My job as settlement support co-ordinator is to have the migrants understand what their rights are and what their employment contracts cover.%26quot; Mr Rose agrees there are some poor farm employers leading to a wide variation in employment conditions.
But it is a competitive market and good employers have no problem in getting and retaining people, he says.
Ms Morrison-Bailey says in some cases migrants have left poor jobs.
But to leave a job their employer must tell the Immigration Department, which many migrants don%26#39;t understand and are fearful they will be made to leave the country. She says it is not hard for them to get another job though.
%26quot;A concern we have at Venture Southland is we don%26#39;t want Southland to get a reputation for not looking after people. We see our role as supporting employers and looking after the migrants as they are such a central component to our economy.%26quot; Employers need to be educated about other cultures.
%26quot;Having no idea that to be a verbally abusive, big white physically dominating Kiwi standing over a small, highly religious Filipino woman, is just not on.%26quot; Southland Multi-nations Council chairman Brian Bellett says generally Southlanders are pretty open when it comes to other cultures. He encourages Southlanders to welcome newcomers and not wait until they are leaving before being friendly.
However, as far as getting the full potential of migrants%26#39; skills, some employers still have some way to go.
He has heard of cases where migrants are passed over for promotion and are working in jobs which do not fully use their abilities.
%26quot;People can take a long time to get employment. In most cases people have come here leaving their own countries, leaving their families and ties; people need to give them a chance.%26quot; In some cases, migrants have qualifications from their own country that are not recognised here and take a lower-skilled job to get established. They then might do further training or courses at the Southern Institute of Technology, Mr Bellett says.
Ms Morrison-Bailey predicts that in the future dairy farms will be owned by migrants %26mdash; also a reflection of changes in farming with a lack of succession. She%26#39;s heard of an Argentinian couple who started here as milkers and have progressed to managers and are aiming to eventually own a farm.
Many Filipinos have businesses in their home country and sell up their piggery or poultry farm and come back to invest the money in cows.
Her job is to get as many migrants to stay %26mdash; something she sees as vital for Southland economically and culturally and for those seeking a new life here.
%26quot;In order for Southlanders to adjust to the influx of cultures we need to interact more, having each other%26#39;s children play with each other and to have each other participate in each other%26#39;s lives. It comes from community involvement and it is up to us as people will not participate unless they are
