Sirma Karapeeva. Photo: Supplied / Meat Industry Association
The Meat Industry Association is applauding the latest addition to the government's immigration Green List, with halal meat processors being approved for the faster residency programme.
Halal butchers must be practising Muslims. Due to the relatively small Muslim community in New Zealand, only about 100 are employed at meat processing plants around the country.
Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said the sector needs 250.
"New Zealand's meat processing and exporting industry has a chronic shortage of halal butchers, and we have been urging the government to make it easier for our companies to recruit them for some time, so this change to immigration settings is a positive first step."
Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva
She said halal-certified products contribute billions to annual export earnings, so the specialty butchers are important.
"Halal processing helps our industry capture greater value for our products. Having each animal processed by a halal butcher means that different parts of the same carcass can be sent to various markets around the world.
"By providing our sector with the flexibility to match cuts to the needs of our global customers, we can lift the overall value of each carcass, which delivers strong returns for farmers, rural communities and the wider economy. Halal-certified products contribute approximately $4.1 billion of annual export earnings."
Karapeeva said ultimately the meat industry wants the government to introduce a special work visa for halal butchers.
"We want a special work visa for halal butchers. We believe this will be a simple and pragmatic solution to this unique problem."