The reason, at least in part, we are back into this time consuming, tedious and ultimately fruitless scrap between business and the government over jobs and how we can’t find any locals to fill them, is because up until the government decided to change the rules, when we by and large had it sorted - and we have the numbers to prove it.

In other words, within a margin, if you needed people in from off shore you could get them, and we did.

Stats out this week show 18000 more work visa applications under the essential skills category. Only 1500 had been turned down.

The essential skills category is the list the government has decided we need help on that there is a genuine shortage locally.

Or is there?

Here’s the simple truth: shortage or not, an employer should be able to hire who they want.

Hospitality especially is a good example. French chefs or Mexican or Chinese, people with skills we would be unlikely to replicate.

But the stats tell us there were in fact 660 different job types that we could not fill. Accommodation and hospitality managers, consultants, engineers, scientists, technicians, machine operators and drivers, mechanics: the list goes on and on and on.

Now, do you honestly believe that in every single one of those categories, there isn’t a New Zealander about the place that could do it?

If the answer is yes, what a monumental enlightenment on our education system.  

If the answer is no, we clearly have a booming economy where everyone is gainfully busy.

And yet of course we don’t, and we know we don’t.

So the government’s new answer is to take those out of work and give them these jobs. Classic theory from a group who have never employed anyone in their lives.

And, as we are seeing by the ongoing cries for help, this plan is hopelessly unrealistic.

You either want stuff done or you don’t, machines driven or not, fruit picked or not, the job actually filled or not.

The government argue it’s about money. It isn’t. For cherry or apple picking it could be, but even there I am doubtful.

The truth is, we lack skills, we sometimes lack desire, but that doesn’t change reality, and the reality is an economy needs workers to fill jobs and we have a mismatch.

The solution is to get these people in here and fix the problem. There are spaces in quarantine, but the government is reluctant because they’re hung up on ideology to fill them.

The only tangible sensible and realistic solution is for them to wake up, change their minds and get back to doing what we were previously, which, although not perfect, was a hell of a lot more productivity that what’s going on now.