600 new IT Jobs; More freedom for Aucklanders; stranded Indians overseas
Venkat Raman
Auckland, December 16, 2021
We published our December 15, 2021 issue – the last Digital Edition for the year – yesterday, December 15, 2021 carrying, among others, a Seven-Page Christmas and New Year Special.
Arguably, it has not been a good year for New Zealanders, and more so for Aucklanders, who had to sustain 107 days of lockdown, the longest in the City’s history. People could not go to their offices (save for those in essential services) or visit their relatives and friends; children could not attend school and the Central Business District had a forlorn look.
We have never seen such despair among Aucklanders, who are usually resilient.
Some penetrating questions
Was it all the fault of the government or was it inept management? Where is the Jacinda Ardern government that managed the ‘first lot’ of Covid-19 so well? Why are government officials becoming so lethargic and arrogant? Why has the National Party, the main Opposition so ineffective as to just nurture infighting? Is there no way out of this quagmire? When we will learn to live with Covid-19, however, terrible it may sound?
These were some of the questions that were posed to us by our readers.
We knew the answers to most of them but decided to watch how the situations evolve.
There is some sign of light but we are not sure if we have reached the end of the tunnel.
New Zealand moved into the Traffic Lights System under its Covid-10 Protection Network about a week ago and Auckland and a few other parts of the country have been placed under Red Light. There is now growing anxiety with one person – a traveller from Germany – identified as the first Omicron patient. That anxiety has fuelled speculation that lockdowns may return at least to parts of New Zealand. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said so at a media conference in Wellington today.
We are also keen to bring home about 900 migrant workers stranded in India since last year.
We are working with the concerned and hope to resolve the issue soon.
600 new visas to the IT sector
Our Lead Story in this issue says that IT Companies will be able to recruit four categories of IT professionals from overseas under a new exemption order.
Digital Economy and Communications Minister Dr David Clark has said that up to 600 visas will be available for Software and Application Programmers, ICT Managers, ICT Security Specialists and Multimedia Specialists.
Companies intending to apply for Work Visas must comply with the annual salary threshold of at least $120,000 for Software and Application Programmers, ICT managers and ICT security specialists, and at least $95,000 for Multimedia Specialists.
The date from which the exemptions will come into force is not known but Dr Clark said that an announcement will be made early in the new year.
Top export sector
He said that the class exemption will relieve some of the pressure on the technology firms and that they will be able to support their continued growth and export earnings.
“The sector is now one of our top three exporters, and technical jobs have been growing at twice the rate of the general economy. It has continued to expand during the Covid-19 pandemic, placing pressure on the demand for talent. We are carefully targeting areas of the sector where the industry has highlighted a clear need for overseas talent including, software development, product managers, cyber security and interactive media,” he said.
According to Dr Clark, the government has been working closely with the technology sector on addressing the key opportunities and challenges facing the industry.
Auckland is not moving to Orange
Every region currently at Red, except for Northland, will move to Orange settings at 11:59 pm on December 30, 2021. Free Rapid Antigen Tests will be available at participating pharmacies for unvaccinated, asymptomatic people wanting to leave Auckland over summer 89% of eligible New Zealanders are now fully vaccinated, with the 90% mark projected for later this week. 92% of fully vaccinated people have received their Vaccine Pass.
Covid-Response Minister Chris Hipkins said that the government is taking a cautious approach in terms of different regions moving to different colour settings and some regions staying at their current setting for the moment.
“As we get used to the new framework, the preference is to take extra caution before moving regions to Green. Moving areas to Green too early risks needing to go back to higher restrictions. Auckland is one of our most highly vaccinated regions in the country but is also the centre of the current outbreak with over 6000 active cases being managed. At this stage despite high vaccination rates and with the Auckland boundary opening on Wednesday, the cautious approach means Auckland will not be moving to Orange until December 30, 2021,” he said.
The Nation is divided on this issue as well: Should we close our borders and ensure that no form of Covid-19 enters the country or resume normal activity doing our best to remain safe?
You be the Judge.
